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Noisy devices are making public transport hell. But do passengers realise the pain they inflict?Earlier in the summer I started a social experiment - one you might consider ingenious or insufferable, depending on how much you prioritise a peaceful life. It began with a fragmented journey from north to south London, during which at each section of the journey (bus, overground, bus), someone was playing content on their phone, loudly.First there was a woman flicking impatiently through TikTok videos: four-second assaults of traditional Chinese medicine tutorials, girls pranking their boyfriends and self-help tips. The woman next to her put in her earbuds, but said nothing. Next, there was a woman listening to a nearly 20-minute long voice note from a friend out loud that all of us could hear. This is the life of the passenger in our new ambient hell.Hannah Ewens is a freelance editor and writer, and the author of Fangirls: Scenes From Modern Music Culture Continue reading...

From Berlin's techno scene to Oktoberfest, a revolution in drinking culture is taking place, and it's led by young peopleThe first cliche that comes to mind when many think of Germany is thigh-slapping oompah music, embroidered lederhosen and, above all, litre-sized mugs of beer. And Deutschland's beer culture is best epitomised by Munich's Oktoberfest. Millions of revellers descend on the Bavarian capital each September for 16 days of booze, bretzel and bratwurst. But it's a cliche out of sync with modern Germany, where abstinence is on the up - and boozing is in decline.One example is Die Null (The Zero). Before the world-famous beer festival kicks off this year on 21 September, a new alcohol-free beer garden has opened in the heart of the city, inaugurated by the mayor of Munich himself. The venue serves a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, from mocktails to alcohol-free lager. Continue reading...

The Californian made enough money from his basketball career to retire in comfort. But he was called back to the sport he loved as a high schoolerWhen Chase Budinger was named to the US men's beach volleyball team for the Paris Olympics, it seemed as if the selection panel had gotten its wires crossed.Budinger - a tall, blond, California cliche (and in case unclear, his is a hard g) - isn't just any sand-sprinkled leviathan. He's a 36-year-old NBA retiree. Really, the 6ft 7in swingman wouldn't look out of place among the motley crew of journeymen who carry the US men's basketball team through the Olympic qualifiers while the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry are otherwise occupied. Instead, he's poised to become the rare human who has logged minutes in the NBA and competed in the Olympics in a sport other than basketball. Continue reading...

US president also to seek constitutional amendment to limit immunity for presidents and various officeholdersJoe Biden will announce plans to reform the US supreme court on Monday, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, adding that the US president was likely to back term limits for justices and an enforceable code of ethics.Biden said earlier this week during an Oval Office address that he would call for reform of the court. Continue reading...

Park fire has burned 239,000 acres, with an official telling CBS it was spreading at a rate of 4,000 to 5,000 acres an hourA massive and explosive wildfire whipped through the small rural community of Forest Ranch, California, on Thursday, bringing back dark memories in a region that has withstood several devastating wildfires in recent years.The Park fire has grown into the state's largest this year, destroying buildings and forcing the evacuations of thousands in one of the state's most wildfire-hardened regions. Continue reading...

The ambitious riverside extravaganza got off to a soggy and underwhelming start before Celine Dion's spectacular closing momentThe Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony has begun with a video interlude showing people delivering the Olympic flame to an empty Stade de France, only to realise that the ceremony is at the River Seine. Footbal legend and World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane is being shown hurtling the flame to the correct location.Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, the most listened to French-speaking singer in the world is confirmed to be performing at some point in the ceremony. If you want a flavour of what she sounds like, Nakamura put out a new single, 42, last month, although it remains to be seen whether she will go down the George Michael 2012 closing ceremony route of Here's my new single ..." Continue reading...

Over 160,000 attendees in a key demographic answered the call' on Thursday, with nearly $8.5m raised for HarrisFollowing the success of a virtual call to mobilize Black women voters for Kamala Harris, a similar event with more than 160,000 attendees was held on Thursday aimed at white women, and appeared to break records.White women will be a key demographic for the Democrats to win over this election. Continue reading...

Marine archaeologists in Wisconsin find ship after single day of searching, in 50ft-deep waters off AlgomaShipwreck hunters with the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association have discovered the wreckage of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan 131 years ago.A team of marine archaeologists located the Margaret A Muir - a 130ft, three-masted schooner built in 1872 - in 50ft-deep waters off the coast of Algoma, Wisconsin, on 12 May. Continue reading...

James Wilburn, father of Black woman shot dead by Illinois police, says vice-president let us know she is with us 100%'Vice-President Kamala Harris on Friday called the family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy in her Illinois home, according to Massey's family members, who spoke to NBC News.Massey was killed on 6 July after she called the Sangamon county sheriff's office because she was afraid there might be a prowler outside, according to an attorney for her family and Illinois state police. Continue reading...

Woman seeks $1m for defamation after she says LaToya Cantrell falsely accused her of following and harassingA New Orleans woman once accused of stalking by the city's mayor, LaToya Cantrell, turned the tables on Friday with a $1m-plus federal lawsuit accusing the elected official, her chief of staff, and eight members of the city's police department of civil rights violations and defamation.Anne W Breaud's lawsuit says Cantrell falsely accused her of following and harassing her. It also claims Cantrell's chief of staff and members of the police department improperly accessed state and federal information on Breaud. Continue reading...

The vice-president's ascent marks a historic moment. But the US must remain vigilant to the threat of the model minority' mythWe are here! We are here! We have arrived!" cheered the lawyer and activist Valarie Kaur, to more than 4,000 south Asian participants mobilizing for Kamala Harris on a Zoom call on Wednesday night.I want to name this a historic moment - and as a moment for all of us to come together." If elected, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would become the first woman, first Black woman, and first south Asian to win the US presidency. Continue reading...

Law doesn't violate amendment to stick to one subject, although abortion and gender healthcare are distinct'A Nebraska law that combined abortion restrictions with another measure to limit gender-affirming healthcare for minors does not violate a state constitutional amendment requiring bills to stick to a single subject, the state supreme court ruled Friday.The state's high court acknowledged in its ruling that abortion and gender-affirming care are distinct types of medical care", but the law does not violate Nebraska's single-subject rule because both abortion and transgender health fall under the subject of medical care. Continue reading...

The former US president and Republican nominee Donald Trump said Kamala Harris's comments about Israel's war on Gaza 'weren't very nice' during a visit by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump was reacting to combative speech by Harris after her own meeting with Netanyahu in which she said she would not be silent about Israel's war in Gaza.Netanyahu said he hoped that Harris's comments did not signal a rift between Israel and the US. Netanyahu also said Israel was 'eager' to secure a ceasefire deal that would lead to the release of hostages held in Gaza.Trump also took a question on his relationship with Netanyahu, in light of reports of difficulties between the leaders. Trump dismissed the reports, saying their relations had always been good, adding that Netanyahu's wife, Sara, was his 'secret weapon' in this respect. 'As long as I have Sara, that's all that matters,' said Trump

Simone Biles has reframed her relationship with the sport but will face fierce competition from Rebeca AndradeIn the aftermath of her nightmare second Olympic experience, all Simone Biles wanted to do was go home. But even after she departed Tokyo, Biles had to follow her teammates to New York and wade through numerous excruciating talk show appearances and photo ops. Then came a parade in her hometown of Houston. Each time the cameras trained on her, she plastered a fake smile over her face. When she finally returned home, she wept.It has taken so much work for Biles to return to the top of her sport after the events of Tokyo 2020. She stepped away from gymnastics for a year, she has spent many hours of therapy trying to fully understand the root causes of her mental suffering and she has had to reframe her relationship with her sport. Now, she says, she is performing for herself. Continue reading...

The horrors of the war in Gaza, and the Israeli prime minister's conduct and rhetoric, are spurring shifts in policies overseasThe multiple standing ovations that Benjamin Netanyahu received in Washington this week, on his first trip abroad since the Hamas attack of 7 October, must have rung hollow even to his ears. The problem was not merely the distraction of the US political class by Joe Biden's abandonment of his re-election bid, and Kamala Harris's ascension. Almost half of House and Senate Democrats boycotted his address to Congress. Many instead met relatives of hostages, who are furious at Mr Netanyahu for failing to reach a ceasefire agreement. Nancy Pelosi described his speech as by far the worst by any foreign dignitary at the Capitol.The Israeli prime minister is used to unpopularity: around 70% of Israelis think he has not done enough to win the hostages' release; a similar number want him to resign. But abroad, he bears much of the responsibility for a decisive shift in attitudes towards his country as well as himself, even in its staunchest ally. Continue reading...

A staggering 72% of Israelis want Netanyahu to step down. Netanyahu doesn't represent us and it's shameful that Congress invited himTo put it bluntly - Benjamin Netanyahu is the enemy of the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and of every person on this earth who values human life. He is also personally responsible for October 7. The fact that he spoke in Congress, with tens of thousands dead in Gaza and no hostage deal in sight, is an embarrassment to Congress and to every single representative who attended.When Netanyahu spoke to Congress, Congress should've walked out, not given him standing ovations. Even beyond the moral obvious, no dialogue should be had with this man for the same reason dialogue with Trump is a waste of time - all you're ever going to get is another masterclass in gaslighting. And that is exactly what this speech was - from craven lying about the death toll in Gaza to craven lying about his attempts to free the hostages - A smorgasbord of craven lying, which congress, for some reason, could not stop applauding. Continue reading...

VP nominee pushed baseless warning in 2022 that George Soros would pack planes of Black women to get abortionsJD Vance, Ohio senator and Donald Trump's running mate, promoted a baseless rightwing talking point in 2022 when he warned of George Soros-funded planes transporting Black women across state lines for abortions.I'm sympathetic to the view that like, okay, look here, here's a situation - let's say Roe v Wade is overruled," Vance said in a recently resurfaced podcast interview. Ohio bans abortion in 2022, or let's say 2024. And then, you know, every day George Soros sends a 747 to Columbus to load up disproportionately Black women to get them to go have abortions in California. And of course, the left will celebrate this as a victory for diversity - uh, that's kind of creepy." Continue reading...

Swimming is splashing into the confines of a rugby stadium with all eyes on whether world records will be smashedOlympic swimming rarely disappoints, and it starts on Saturday with the women's 100m butterfly heats. As excitement builds, many are wondering if the pool will produce record-breaking performances to light up the Games.First things first; in Paris there is a separate venue for the swimmers in Nanterre while the divers and artistic swimmers get to star in the 151m purpose-built aquatics centre in Saint-Denis. So much for the hype around a flexible pool. Instead, the swimming events will be held in the Paris La Defense Arena where two 50m temporary pools have been built in what is normally a 30,000-seat rugby stadium. Continue reading...

Minors can receive contraception confidentially under Title X in the state with the highest repeat teen birth rateKen Paxton, the Texas attorney general, has sued the Biden administration over a longstanding federal program that provides teenagers access to contraception without parental consent, the state's latest attack against the federal government's reproductive healthcare policies.This suit is likely a preview of where the Texas GOP - and national Republicans - stand on attacking contraception access," says Mary Ziegler, a professor at University of California, Davis, School of Law and reproductive health expert. While Republicans say they don't want to take aim at contraception, this is another sign that this is actually where we're headed." Continue reading...

The Americans are reigning Olympic champions but still needed funds in the run-up to Paris. Then a hip-hop veteran came in to save the dayThe United States women's water polo team will launch their bid for an unprecedented fourth straight Olympic gold medal on Saturday with an unlikely benefactor in their corner. Flavor Flav, the 65-year-old founding member of Public Enemy, has stolen the show around town in his role as the team's official hype man.This is quite an experience for me right now, you know, because the only time I've ever seen the Olympics was on TV," said Flav, who spent Thursday hugging and high-fiving everyone in sight at the Team USA house in the historic Palais Brongniart. You know what I'm saying? But I always wanted to see what it felt like being there." Continue reading...

Fate has swung wildly in her favour, with everything from the Democrat establishment to memes on her side. Will we finally see a Madam President?A week has always been a long time in politics, but this might have been the longest week in Kamala Harris's life. While Joe Biden is still technically the US president, he already feels irrelevant. All eyes are on Harris now. The speed with which she has gone from being one of the most unpopular vice-presidents in modern history to sitting at the top of the Democratic ticket, with an army of enthusiastic fans behind her, is astounding. Biden's trajectory has been widely compared to a Shakespearean tragedy; Harris's sudden reversal of fortune, meanwhile, is like something out of a fairytale.A quick recap: Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris on Sunday. The Democratic establishment then threw its weight behind her on Monday. So did hundreds of thousands of donors; Harris's campaign raked in a record-breaking $81m in just 24 hours. By Tuesday, she had earned enough support from delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president next month. On Wednesday, Democrats approved rules meaning that any Democrat who wants to compete against Harris for the nomination only has days to do so. Then, on Friday, Barack Obama endorsed the vice-president. Her coronation is almost complete. Continue reading...

Movement that used the Democratic primaries to voice opposition wants more than empathy for Palestinians from the vice-presidentThe protest movement that sought to use the Democratic primaries to pressure Joe Biden to shift his policy on Israel and Gaza breathed a sigh of relief when he ended his bid for re-election. But they're not ready to promise they'll support Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee.More than 700,000 Americans voted uncommitted", or its equivalent, in state primaries as a message to Biden that he risked losing significant support in November if he did not shift away from his support for Israel. As next month's Democratic national convention inches closer, the movement has turned its sights to pressuring Harris to shape a new course on Gaza policy. Its demands of Harris include an arms embargo on Israel and support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, according to health officials. Continue reading...

Second gentleman tells LGBTQ+ fundraiser his phone was on fire' after wife Kamala Harris entered spotlightDoug Emhoff has described being caught by surprise by the timing of Joe Biden's announcement last Sunday that he was dropping out of his re-election campaign, telling an LGBTQ+ fundraiser that he was in an exercise class in Los Angeles when he heard the news.Emhoff, 59, the husband of US vice-president Kamala Harris, explained to attendees on a fundraising call organized by a group called Black Gay and Queer Men for Harris that he was with a gay couple friend" having coffee, messing around and talking" when people started coming up to them. Continue reading...

Louisiana's Elizabeth Francis, America's grandmother', was born before women could vote and has seen two world warsThe oldest person in the US offers two bits of advice when asked for the keys to her longevity: If the good Lord gave it to you, use it" and Speak your mind, don't bite your tongue!"Elizabeth Francis's pearls of wisdom were recirculated widely as she celebrated her 115th birthday on Thursday. The milestone cemented her place as the world's fourth-oldest living person, according to the LongeviQuest website, an authority on supercentenarians, or those who are 110 or older. Continue reading...

Marchand, Peaty, Ledecky and co mean the pool is stacked with big names despite shadow of Chinese doping scandalYou can't miss Leon Marchand in Paris, his picture runs right up along all 200m of the only skyscraper in the city limits, the Tour Montparnasse. Marchand is 22 and has never won an Olympic medal, but he is one of the three French faces of the Games, along with Antoine Dupont and Victor Wembanyana. It means that for the first time since Michael Phelps set himself the impossible job of winning eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008, a swimmer is the star turn at the Olympics. It's no coincidence that last year Marchand finally beat Phelps' last surviving solo world record, in the 400m individual medley.Marchand goes in four separate solo events in seven days, the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke, with the finals just an hour and a half apart on Wednesday evening, the 200m later in the week and the 400m medley, which is the first event up, on Sunday evening. That night he will share the top of the bill with Adam Peaty, who is trying to become the second man, after Phelps, to win the same event at three consecutive Games. There was a time Peaty was the nearest thing to a sure thing in sport, but he has had a rough three years since Tokyo, and, while he has set the fastest time in the world this year, he is still searching for his very best form. Continue reading...

Amid anger at US vice-president's call to end Gaza war, many families of hostages held by Hamas agree with her

Sure, Harris deserves scrutiny. But she doesn't deserve smears and stereotypes amplified by journalists and pundits addicted to clicksIt's going to be ugly, that much is already clear.In the few days since Kamala Harris began her 2024 campaign for president, the media has shown us where some of their coverage is headed: no place good.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Heritage Foundation leader has long received spiritual guidance from group and his policy goals align with its teachingsKevin Roberts, the Heritage Foundation president and the architect of Project 2025, the conservative thinktank's road map for a second Trump presidency, has close ties and receives regular spiritual guidance from an Opus Dei-led center in Washington DC, a hub of activity for the radical and secretive Catholic group.Roberts acknowledged in a speech last September that - for years - he has visited the Catholic Information Center, a K Street institution headed by an Opus Dei priest and incorporated by the archdiocese of Washington, on a weekly basis for mass and formation", or religious guidance. Opus Dei also organizes monthly retreats at the CIC. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris has gained the support of key figures including Biden, Obama and Clinton since Sunday Continue reading...

France still doesn't have a government but at least it can unite in the joy of seeing Parisians even more peeved than usualGetting to the Left Bank is easier said than done. Actually it's fine by metro, but crossing the river by any other means is, temporarily at least, a bit of an ordeal: innumerable detours for closed bridges, and cops as confused as you are. Continue reading...

Outsiders can't fathom his success. But Trump's supporters believe his gaffes and misdemeanours prove he's one of them'There is no such thing as a universal leader. Leaders always represent a specific social group: a political party, a religion or a social movement. The more they are loved by insiders, the more such adulation seems bizarre and inexplicable to outsiders - to the extent that we often dismiss adoring followers as deluded or deplorable in some way. Think Margaret Thatcher, or Jeremy Corbyn, or Boris Johnson.But perhaps the greatest enigma of contemporary politics concerns Donald Trump - a man who elicits messianic fever and revulsion in equal measure. A liar and serial philanderer championed by evangelists; a felon supported by law and order" enthusiasts; a man who boasts of groping women and yet was elected with a majority of white women voters; a billionaire who likes posing in the golden lift of his New York skyscraper while also posing as the champion of the working class. How on earth does any of this make sense? Yet, at the same time, how can Kamala Harris - if, as is near-certain, she is crowned the Democratic nominee - hope to win in November unless she is able to make sense of it? Continue reading...

Republican still mostly ahead in swing states but data suggests presumptive Democratic nominee gaining groundA spate of opinion polls carried out since Joe Biden abandoned his presidential campaign last Sunday show Vice-President Kamala Harris closing the gap on Donald Trump but still narrowly trailing in a tight race.While still often narrowly behind, the ability of Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, to gain ground on her Republican opponent suggests her elevation to the top of the ticket has reset the presidential race, pollsters say, especially after weeks of plummeting Democratic poll numbers under Biden. Continue reading...

The US vice president has now won the backing of all the Democratic party's high-profile figures. Plus: a sweltering summer in Las Vegas

Breathless calls for justice and reform - even when they come from the highest office in the land - feel stale and hollowThe police killing of Sonya Massey, the 36-year-old Black woman who was shot in the face by a white sheriff's deputy in her own home after she called for help reporting a prowler, is just the latest episode of the hellish TV show that is Black life in America.And if you've been paying attention, the script is often the same: person calls cops for help, cops go into their house, cops shoot them, cops lie about what happened, cops get off (relatively) scot-free.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Hatred will continue to ooze from the right. Pay attention - because that bigotry isn't just talk, it's Republican policiesLike a warm compress drawing pus from a wound, the Democratic presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris immediately brought out the misogyny and racism of the Maga Republican party.Tim Burchett, the Tennessee Republican representative, called Harris, the child of a Black Jamaican father and an Indian mother, a DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hire - picked, that is, because she is Black, not because she's qualified. Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, insinuated that Harris is a welfare queen. What the hell have you done other than collect a check?" he asked at a Michigan rally of Harris, a former state attorney general, US senator and now the vice-president. At the same time, social media posts showing Harris with her parents falsely claim she's not really Black, because her father is light-skinned.Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books Continue reading...

Site of proposed Atlanta police training center has changed greatly since arrest of protesters charged with racketeeringAfter months of stonewalling by Georgia prosecutors, defense attorneys were allowed on Tuesday to visit the forest at the center of the state's criminal conspiracy case against a movement opposing the police training center colloquially known as Cop City" - only to come away frustrated by how much things had changed on the ground.The attorneys also found confusion about where arrests and alleged crimes occurred during the last two years, according to a handful who spoke to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Let's Protect Workers act would also increase fines for wage and hour violations, from $1,100 each to $25,000 eachDemocrats introduced a bill Friday proposing increased penalties for employers found guilty of child labor violations and toughening rules around minimum wage, overtime violations and breaches of health and safety rules.The Let's Protect Workers act would also set new penalties for retaliating against workers who exercise their right to take family and medical leave, toughen oversight of workplace injury records, improve mine safety and ensure funding for workers affected by black lung. Continue reading...

The world's biggest basketball league had steady but unspectacular ratings last season but its blockbuster deal could predict the future of sports broadcastingIf there were ever any doubts that the future of television is streaming, the NBA just put them to rest. After months of protracted negotiations over the 11-year media rights deal set to begin in 2025, the NBA announced last night it has signed deals with incumbent Disney's ESPN, which was already a rights holders, and new partners, NBCUniversal and Amazon. What's even more remarkable than the eye-watering $76bn price tag, is just what the deal tacitly predicts for the future of sports coverage.Several things stand out. Firstly, the NBA's new partners have notably strong streaming platforms, while still maintaining ties to network television (ABC/ESPN and NBC) and an over-the-air presence. Continue reading...

The English coach was brought in to transform a team that had stumbled badly at last year's World Cup. The early signs are encouragingFor US women's national team manager Emma Hayes, just one roadblock seemed to be troubling her team as they made their way to France for their Olympic opener: the invisible brick wall that had been erected in front of goal.In the team's two pre-Olympic warmup friendlies, Hayes' squad had 43 shots. Just 18 landed on target, and only one resulted in a goal. The team showed in a 1-0 win over Mexico and a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica that they had improved as an attacking unit over the course of Hayes' first games in charge, but their ability to finish off plays was in question. Continue reading...

The best players in the NBA are no longer exclusively American, while other countries play better as team units. We could see an upset at Paris 2024The 2024 Olympic Games are shaping up to be the most competitive international men's basketball tournament of all time, with powerhouse nations like Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Germany and Serbia loading up on talent as they aim to take down the juggernaut Team USA.The American men have won gold at each of the last four Olympics and have assembled The Avengers" in hopes of doing so again. Led by LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Team USA is packed with NBA All-Stars being coached by NBA champions. But unlike many other teams they will face at the Olympics, this American roster had not played together until a series of warmup games in the last few weeks. And despite their significant talent advantage, they will have less time than any other team to come together, put their NBA habits aside, and play Fiba basketball, which has different rules such as smaller courts and shorter games, as a unit. Continue reading...

From Los Angeles to Cairo, the global water crisis is escalating - but Valencia's Tribunal de les Aigues could inspire a solutionEvery Thursday at noon, outside the west door of Valencia's cathedral, nine black-cloaked figures - one wearing a banded cap and with a ceremonial harpoon by their side - gather for their weekly meeting, as they have done for hundreds of years. This is the Tribunal de les Aigues (Tribunal of Waters) - a water court that may be the oldest institution of justice in Europe.It may seem like a relic of the past, but in fact, in the midst of a global water crisis, the tribunal is more relevant than ever. We are a civilisation at risk of committing aquacide. Due to droughts caused by climate change, expanding industrial agriculture and growing urbanisation, one in every four people will be affected by water scarcity over coming decades, with cities from Los Angeles and Cairo to Melbourne and Sao Paulo facing acute shortages. Water conflicts are on the rise, both within and between nations - we are increasingly fighting over water rather than oil and land. Moreover, in countries such as the UK, private water companies are jacking up prices and siphoning off super-profits while dumping sewage in the rivers. Continue reading...

We are no closer to understanding why some men hate women so viciously - but we can transform how misogyny is policedNatalie Fleet was only 15 when she got pregnant by an older man. At the time, she says she didn't really know how to describe what was happening; didn't see herself as being groomed, or as a child still not legally old enough to consent. If anything, she worried that she might be the one who had done something wrong, given she was the one being called a slag and a slapper. Only now, more than two decades later, does the newly elected Labour MP for Bolsover feel able to say publicly that an experience about which she apparently still has nightmares was statutory rape.Having met the force of nature that is Fleet five years ago when she first stood unsuccessfully for election, I'm struck but not surprised by her courage in volunteering a story that perfectly illustrates what a complex crime rape can be to investigate, and how horribly common abusive behaviour is - or at least, how common it would look if everyone was as willing to talk this openly about it. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on Kamala Harris' meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu hereThe Harris for President campaign has launched its first official video, less than a week after US President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race.The ad caps a week during which Harris also broke funding records and quickly clinched enough delegate support to become the presumptive nominee in an election that is now just over 100 days away. Continue reading...

Suspect allegedly pushed burning car into gully which started Park fire as other fires scorch Pacific north-westA California man was arrested on Thursday and accused of starting the state's largest wildlife of the year by pushing a burning car into a gully.The flames have since exploded into what is now the Park fire, which has burned more than 71,000 acres (28,733 hectares) near the city of Chico. Evacuations were ordered in Butte and Tehama counties, with the blaze only 3% contained early on Thursday. Continue reading...

Harris ready to debate Donald Trump' but rival refuses to finalize plans until Democrats formally make nominationKamala Harris has accused Donald Trump of backpedaling" from a previously agreed presidential debate in September, as the Trump campaign said that it would not agree to finalizing plans until Harris formally becomes the Democratic nominee.Harris told reporters on Thursday that she was ready to debate Donald Trump". A debate, hosted by ABC News, was planned for 10 September. Continue reading...

After meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, vice president Kamala Harris said she supports Israel's right to defend itself, but said 'how it does so matters'. Harris expressed concern over the 'devastating' humanitarian situation in Gaza and images of civilians killed in the conflict, saying 'we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies'. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met separately at the White House with president Joe Biden before his meeting with Harris to discuss the war in Gaza and the possibility of securing a cease-fire deal