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Presidential candidates spend Sunday trying to shore up support among must-have voting blocsKamala Harris and Donald Trump spent Sunday trying to shore up political support among what they perceived to be must-have voting blocs with polls showing them locked in a tight 5 November presidential race.With election day less than a month away, the Democratic vice-president attended a Black church in Greenville, North Carolina, as part of her campaign's souls to the polls" push. She later exalted the way communities - especially in the western part of the state - were coming together after damage from Hurricane Helene in late September, especially the way people who have the least give the most". Continue reading...

Insufficient investment and the withdrawal of subsidies and incentives are damaging a sector that is vital to the green transitionEarlier this year, a French experiment offered a startling glimpse of what progressive green policymaking can achieve. In an effort to boost demand, Emmanuel Macron's government introduced a social leasing scheme allowing less well-off commuters to payan affordable monthly rate for a new electric vehicle (EV). Within a month, demand boomed to the extent that the schemewas abruptly suspended. According to ministers, French carmakers couldn't keep up with the sudden surge of interest.This autumn, companies such as Renault and Peugeotare facing a different kind of problem. Governments across the EU have withdrawn subsidies and incentives, and are failing to provide reassuring levels of investment in charging infrastructure and grid capacity. As a consequence, EV sales are badly off the pace in the journey to 2035 zero-emission targets. According to new data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, August recorded the fourth consecutive monthly drop in sales. Overall, car sales are at their lowest for three years, with double-digit falls in France, Germany and Italy. Executives at Volkswagen, asymbol of Germany's industrial prowess, have declared an intention to close domestic factories for the first time in the company's history. Continue reading...

US president likely to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz within next week during rescheduled trip, say sources in BerlinJoe Biden will visit Germany this week, government sources in Berlin said, after he cancelled a planned trip last week due to Hurricane Milton.The senior German officials who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed media reports that the US president would travel to Berlin, probably within the next week, but declined to provide further details. Planning for the visit was believed to be ongoing. Continue reading...

Gunfire erupted between two groups during homecoming events at Tennessee State University, police sayOne person was killed and nine others wounded in a shootout amid a crowd near a university in Tennessee Saturday afternoon, police said.A crowd that gathered earlier in the day for homecoming events at Tennessee State University was beginning to thin out when the gunfire erupted between two groups around 5pm, said Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron. He said shell casings indicate that gunfire was exchanged across a street near campus between the groups.Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...

Michigan governor accused of mocking communion, while she says stunt was meant to promote Biden's Chips ActMichigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has apologized for feeding a Dorito chip to a social media influencer who dropped to her knees after Roman Catholic organizations accused the Democratic politician of insulting their religion by mocking the sacrament of communion.I would never do something to denigrate someone's faith," Whitmer said in a statement that her office provided to the Michigan television news station WJBK on Friday. Continue reading...

Neck and neck in polls, both presidential candidates target bellwether Saginaw countyDonald Trump's supporters do not pitch up at his rallies expecting to hear policy speeches or even the truth. Mostly they go for the comfort of distractions from hard realities and the allure of false promises to revive the past.But some of the loudest cheers at Trump's recent rally in Saginaw, Michigan, came in response to a claim the former US president's supporters could believe, when he said election polls were swinging his way in the battleground state and that Kamala Harris's honeymoon period" was over. Continue reading...

The Argentinian's first game in charge, imperfect as it was, represented an immediate boost after a summer of setbacksPacing his technical area with puffed cheeks, pursed lips and crossed arms, there was one of the most recognizable faces in club football, the unfamiliar sight of a USA badge on his lapel.At the final whistle, his brow unfurrowed by the delight of a 2-0 win over Panama in his first game in charge of the US men's national team, Mauricio Pochettino bounded on to the field with a wide grin, glad-handing everyone in sight, with back-slaps, hugs and handshakes for all, from players to officials to a cameraman. Continue reading...

About 200,000 Americans live in the UK, and Democrats Abroad members are campaigning hard to get them to voteOn a chilly afternoon in central London, the battle for the US presidential election is being waged with no less fervour than if the campaigners were on the other side of the Atlantic.Surrounded by posters for the Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, volunteers at an office organised by Democrats Abroad have been hitting the phones, calling Americans living abroad, including wavering Republicans, to urge them to register to vote. Continue reading...

Republican's lies about immigrants eating cats in Ohio leads to swell of far-right extremism in Springfield - and beyondFor Denise Williams, the 70-year-old head of Springfield's NAACP chapter, the past several weeks have been testing to say the least.Last month, flyers calling for mass deportations of immigrants were distributed by the so-called Trinity White Knights, a group associated with the Ku Klux Klan, in Black-majority neighborhoods in south Springfield. Continue reading...

Ex-first lady strategically avoids many key subjects in memoir seemingly at odds with Republican partyMelania Trump's eponymously titled memoir is a 180-page exercise in buck-passing and blame-dodging. The former US first lady blames staffers for plagiarizing Michelle Obama; repeatedly stresses her love for her husband despite professing to abhor lying liars who lie; and declares abortion a fundamental right, without pausing to consider Donald Trump's role in attacking it via the US supreme court.Melania is by no means an exhaustive read, but it does leave the reader asking why she has chosen to bare her soul just weeks before the election. Or whether Kamala Harris might more accurately channel her policy preferences than her husband, the Republican nominee yet again.Melania is published in the US by Skyhorse Continue reading...

The New York Liberty's chaotic, enigmatic, queer-coded mascot is a provocative pachyderm who has served her way to It-Girl status amid her team's chase of a first WNBA titleWhen the New York Liberty made their pre-game entrance beneath the Barclays Center ahead of the opening game of their WNBA semi-final series against the Las Vegas Aces last month, there was more spirit and swagger on display than at any New York Fashion Week event. Star point guard Sabrina Ionescu was giving quiet luxury in a sage turtleneck and camel-colored blazer. Breanna Stewart, the two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, called to mind Charli xcx with her black sunglasses and bodacious mane spilling out of a New York or Nowhere baseball hat. But none of them commanded the makeshift catwalk quite like the 5ft 10in long-lashed elephant rocking a zebra-print coat, serving and vamping for her adoring fans with saucy hip-pops and jaunty swings of an umbrella dangling from her wrist.There are mascots and then there are mascots: those once-in-a-decade unicorns who penetrate the zeitgeist in unpredictable ways. Ellie the Elephant is no brightly colored blob tripping down a court at half-time. She is a dancing phenom - splits and worms and handstands, oh my! - as well as a physical comic genius. Her firecracker energy is synonymous with the rise of a Liberty team that has become the obsession of countless women across the city during their run to the WNBA finals, where they are on the doorstep of becoming the first New York basketball franchise to win a championship in over 50 years. Continue reading...

Both sides believe they have right on their side and use it as an excuse to perpetuate bloodshedIsrael is not invading Lebanon, it is liberating it." So proclaimed France's pre-eminent liberal philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy as Israeli tanks drove across the border and its war planes bombed villages in the south and residential districts in Beirut. Thereare moments in history," he exulted, when escalation' becomesa necessity and a virtue." For Levy, it is not just Lebanon that Israel is liberating, but much of the Middle East, too.Levy is not alone in rejoicing at Israel's spreading military offensive. For many, Israel is waging war, not merely in self-defence" but, in the words of president Isaac Herzog, to save western civilisation, to save the values of western civilisation", a claim echoed by many of its supporters. And the destruction of Gaza, of its hospitals and universities, and the killing of 40,000 people? And the 2,000 people killed in Lebanon in a fortnight, and the fifth of its population displaced? Collateral damage en route to savingcivilisation.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

The NFL Academy is a major initiative that aims to provide full-time high-school education for 16-19-year-olds alongside elite training in American footballWe know what's coming, we've seen it before. Every October since 2007, bar a Covid hiatus, the London sporting scene gets infiltrated by an invasion from across the pond. The sporting superpower that is the National Football League comes to town and thousands of fans in garish, oversized jerseys can be seen wondering the streets. This year is no different: three games spread over three weekends, each one, whether it's at Wembley or Tottenham, packed to the rafters.But there is now another NFL London game, a fourth one, a match attended by maybe 2,000 people, but one that is a vital for the future global growth of American football. In fact you could argue it is far more important to the NFL than how many times Aaron Rodgers gets sacked by the Minnesota defence. But this is a game played by a bunch of teenagers. On Tuesday night, just two days after the Jets and Vikings battled it out there, the Spurs Stadium saw the NFL Academy host one of the top American high schools, one rich in history and pedigree, the De La Salle Spartans.The NFL Academy take on De La Salle Spartans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Continue reading...

Republican presidential candidate refers to California as Paradise Lost' while vice-president targets swing stateDonald Trump visited California on Saturday, a state he is almost certain to lose, in a bid to link Kamala Harris to her home state's recent struggles with homelessness, water shortages and a lack of affordability.We're not going to let Kamala Harris do to America what she did to California," the former president said in the city of Coachella, best known for its music festival of the same name, referring to the state as Paradise Lost".Kamala Harris on Saturday released a report on her health and medical history, which found that she possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency" if voters elect her in November. A senior aide to Harris, 59, said the vice-president's advisers viewed the publication of the health report and medical history as an opportunity to call attention to questions about Donald Trump's physical fitness and mental acuity.Tightening poll figures triggered nervousness and anxiety in Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, with Donald Trump making gains in the states where it matters most as the election race enters its climactic final phase. Amid a dramatic news cycle that has seen the US hit by two destructive hurricanes and rising fears of all-out war in the Middle East, the Guardian's 10-day polling average tracker showed the vice-president and Democratic nominee with a two-point nationwide lead, 48% to 46%, over her Republican opponent as of 10 October - tellingly, down from a 4% advantage she registered two weeks ago.The far-right website the Gateway Pundit acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that there had not been any fraud during ballot counting in Atlanta in 2020 when Donald Trump lost the presidency. It was a significant concession from one of the most influential conservative sites that plays a key role in spreading election misinformation.Tens of thousands of Christians poured on to the National Mall on Saturday in a pre-election event aimed at rescuing America from secularism. The rally was a collaboration organized by multiple far-right Christian leaders affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation, a movement on the political far right that seeks to establish long-term Christian dominion over government and society as well as get Trump a second presidency in November. Continue reading...

As Major League Baseball's final four take aim at the World Series starting on Sunday, playoff TV ratings are soaring thanks to big stars, memorable plays and unbridled funWe're just about halfway toward determining who will become baseball's World Series champions, which means there are just four teams remaining. The best-of-seven American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees begins on Monday in the Bronx, while the New York Mets will be in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers on Sunday in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.How did we get here? Simply put, with some of the more captivating early-round playoff baseball we've seen in some time. And the drama has been much welcome after last year's early rounds included no fewer than six series sweeps, with series winners trouncing losers by 20 games to two, leaving all but the most hardcore baseball fans pining for preseason NBA games. Continue reading...

A popular Facebook group posts videos of animals seen a half-mile from a well-populated Anchorage neighborhoodMillions of people worldwide tuned in for a remote Alaska national park's Fat Bear Week" celebration this month, as captivating livestream camera footage caught the chubby predators chomping on salmon and fattening up for the winter.But in the vast state known for its abundant wildlife, the magical and sometimes violent world of wild animals can be found close to home. Continue reading...

The Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are campaigning with election day just over three weeks away. This blog is now closed.Our latest polling shows Harris and Trump are neck-and-neck, with Trump gaining ground on Harris in crucial swing states.Robert Tait reports: the Guardian's 10-day polling average tracker showed the vice-president and Democratic nominee with a two-point nationwide lead, 48% to 46%, over her Republican opponent as of 10 October - tellingly, down from a 4% advantage she registered two weeks ago." Continue reading...

More than 1.5 million people still without power as damaged communities confront lengthy rebuildingThousands of people who fled the onrushing Hurricane Milton are facing fuel shortages, debris and long traffic jams as they return to damaged Florida communities that are confronted with lengthy rebuilds.Millions of people were urged to evacuate before Milton, which slammed into western Florida on Wednesday as a category 3 hurricane, causing more than a dozen deaths, ruined homes and flooding and triggering a rash of destructive tornadoes. More than 1.5 million people are still without power in the wake of the storm. Continue reading...

Jenny Donnelly, leader of anti-trans Don't Mess With Our Kids, bills first pre-election event as rallying call for mothersTens of thousands of Christians poured onto the National Mall on Saturday to atone, pray and take a stand for America - which, in their view, has been poisoned by secularism and must be ruled instead by a Christian god.Summoned to Washington DC by the multilevel marketing professional-turned-Christian apostle" Jenny Donnelly and the anti-LGBTQ+ celebrity pastor Lou Engle, they streamed onto the lawn holding blue and pink banners emblazoned with the hashtag #DontMessWithOurKids - a nod to the myth that children are being indoctrinated into adopting gay and transgender identities. Continue reading...

Release of vice-president's medical history highlights questions around Trump's physical and mental fitnessKamala Harris on Saturday released a report on her health and medical history, which found that she possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency" if voters elect her in November.A senior aide to Harris, 59, said the vice-president's advisers viewed the publication of the health report and medical history as an opportunity to call attention to questions about Donald Trump's physical fitness and mental acuity. The 78-year-old Republican White House nominee would be the oldest president elected if Americans gave him a second term in the Oval Office. Continue reading...

His comments foreshadow a full-on assault on free speech and freedom of the press if he becomes presidentDonald Trump's 10 October attack on CBS for editing its 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris - a normal television process - is pure distraction. It is designed to draw our attention away from the fact that he was afraid to give the news magazine its traditional interview with both political candidates. Trump's statement that the Federal Communications Commission should take away" CBS's broadcast license betrays his ignorance of the fact that the FCC does not license networks and foreshadows a full-on assault on free speech and freedom of the press if he becomes president.History is clear that dictators move early to take control of the media in order to censor information unfavorable to their people. Our safety requires preventing that control, as Thomas Jefferson wrote two centuries ago: The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed."Dennis Aftergut is a former federal prosecutor, currently of counsel to Lawyers Defending American DemocracyAustin Sarat, associate dean of the faculty and William Nelson Cromwell professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, is the author of Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America's Death Penalty Continue reading...

Barack Obama came out blazing in Pennsylvania with a moral indignation that may help turn tide against Donald Trump's liesTo attend a Trump rally in rural America makes you worry for humanity's future. After six hours in the baking sun watching 60,000-plus Trump supporters lap up his lies, I am here to tell you that there are few more lowering experiences to be had in modern politics.But it isn't all we have, and there is much of a positive nature to report from the US, including an inspiring intervention from Barack Obama last week and the truth that the Democrat candidate for presidency, Kamala Harris, is conducting a very good campaign indeed. Given that she's had just three months to pick her running mate, coordinate strategy and key messaging, and confront a wretchedly divided nation, she's performing with grace and steadiness, while the campaign has united around building a coalition with disaffected Republicans and conservatives of conscience who were in Congress or the Trump administration. Continue reading...

Police investigate mystery of remains of Amanda Leariel Overstreet, who was 16 when she went missing in 2005Body parts found in a freezer that was left behind at a Colorado home that was sold are of a 16-year-old girl who went missing in 2005, authorities have said.The death of Amanda Leariel Overstreet - the biological daughter of the home's previous owner - is being investigated as a homicide, according to the sheriff's office overseeing the case. An investigation into Overstreet's slaying remains ongoing. Continue reading...

Police say at least two of those injured are in critical condition after incident in Oklahoma CityThirteen people were shot - including one fatally - during a party at an Oklahoma venue early on Saturday, according to police.The violence in south-west Oklahoma City was among more than 410 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to statistics from the Gun Violence Archive. The non-partisan archive defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Gateway Pundit settled defamation lawsuit brought by election workers it had falsely accused of wrongdoingThe far-right website The Gateway Pundit acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that there was not any fraud during ballot counting in Atlanta in 2020 when Donald Trump lost the presidency, a significant concession from one of the most influential conservative sites that plays a key role in spreading election misinformation.The statement, the first acknowledgment from the site that there was no proof of fraud in Atlanta, came days after the site settled a defamation lawsuit with Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, two local election workers who the site falsely accused of wrongdoing. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed publicly, but the site appears to have removed all mention of the two women. Continue reading...

Ruben Gallego has a consistent edge in polling in a contest that will help determine control of the Senate - even despite Trump's endorsement of Kari LakeThe crowd gathered in Chandler for a meet-and-greet with Ruben Gallego on a recent Saturday afternoon was an almost perfect snapshot of the voters Democrats need to win statewide in once-ruby red Arizona. There were small business owners, Latino youth activists, a retiree in a Comma La" T-shirt, a handful of veterans, disaffected Republicans, at least one California transplant and a former Trump voter.The diverse attendance was one sign of what polls, strategists, Democrats and even some Republicans acknowledge: the race for an open Senate seat is the 44-year-old Democrat's to lose, a surprising position for a progressive congressman in a purple state running against Trump-endorsed firebrand Kari Lake. Continue reading...

Journalist who published vetting document on Republican running mate was kicked off site formerly known as TwitterDonald Trump's presidential campaign worked with X to prevent information about his running mate JD Vance from being posted on the social media platform, a move that resulted in the journalist who revealed the information being kicked off the site, according to reports.The former president's team contacted X, owned by the billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk, about a 271-page document compiled by his campaign to vet Vance that was linked to by Ken Klippenstein, an independent journalist, the New York Times has reported. Continue reading...

Sickened people in stable condition, sheriff says, after emergency services report mass casualty' situationEleven children and adults were transported to a hospital on Friday night in Pennsylvania after eating and being sickened by toxic mushrooms", authorities said.Emergency medical personnel responded to a report around 9.30pm of 11 people becoming ill after ingesting the mushrooms in Peach Bottom Township, the Delta-Cardiff volunteer company station 57 said in a social media post. Continue reading...

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons put their Botoxed heads together and decreed this the ballet body' eraLadies, have you been waiting with bated breath for an association of plastic surgeons to tell you what your body should look like this season? Have you lost sleep wondering whether your waist is on trend or not? Are you worried that your hips, which don't lie, might be a little too 2005? Continue reading...

They call themselves the coconut army' and are out in droves to reach young people aged 18-29. Can they turn activism into votes?It was the height of brat summer". Kamala Harris was a femininomenon", electrifying a high-stakes presidential race that many of the country's youngest voters had been dreading: a rematch between the two oldest candidates in American history.Chartreuse-blocked memes and coconut emojis filled social media feeds. The tidal wave of young Kamalove" sparked a rush of small-dollar donations and volunteer sign-ups for her days-old campaign. For an extremely online generation of young Democrats, the vibes were so good. Continue reading...

Alex Cooper's show features no-holds-barred conversations about women, intimacy and mental health. The vice-president's visit offered a chance to connect with the TikTok generationAccording to Spotify, Alex Cooper's podcast Call Her Daddy is the second-most-listened-to podcast in the world, behind only The Joe Rogan Experience and with a very different audience. While the audience for Rogan's health advice and anti-woke politics skews heavily male, Cooper's podcast of girls' room secrets, dating stories and therapy-like disclosures is listened to by young, sex-positive women. Cooper, who turned 30 this year, invites guests such as Katy Perry, Heidi Klum and Miley Cyrus to dress down (most appear on the podcast clad in sweatsuits and baseball caps) and share intimate details of their sexual and psychological lives.Cooper's honesty is wildly popular and profitable; in 2021, she inked a $60m deal with Spotify, one of the biggest ever for a podcast at the time. In August, she signed a new deal worth more than double that, leaving Spotify for a $125m three-year offer from the US radio company SiriusXM. Continue reading...

Allie Young, 34, started the Ride to the Polls campaign in 2020 to register new voters in person and onlineIn Dine, or Navajo, culture, the horse symbolizes strength and resilience, as well as a connection to the earth. Cowboy culture is so relevant to Native communities, that horseback trail rides are used to draw awareness to issues within the community including suicide prevention, and alcohol and drug use, said Allie Young, a 34-year-old Dine grassroots organizer. This fall, Young has harnessed the trail ride to engage Dine voters for the presidential election: her group's voter-registration events will culminate with 100 Indigenous voters riding on horseback to a polling station in Arizona on election day.When one mounts a horse and is in rhythm with the horse, that reconnection happens," Young, founder of the Indigenous-led civic engagement program Protect the Sacred, told the Guardian. So when we're connected with the horse, we're then reconnected to Mother Earth and reminded of our cultural values and what we're fighting for, what we're protecting." Continue reading...

The twin blow from Milton and Helene has left the state reeling - and the act of rebuilding will be lengthy and costlyMore than just clouds were swirling when a tropical disturbance that would become Hurricane Milton formed in the south-western Gulf of Mexico, beginning its inexorable march towards a midweek strike on Florida's west coast.As its winds picked up, so did familiar feelings of anxiety and dread across a state still reeling from the impact of another monster storm, Hurricane Helene, barely a week earlier. Ultimately, the densely populated cities of Tampa and St Petersburg were spared the apocalyptic scenario some had forecast. But places elsewhere along the Gulf coast saw unprecedented levels of destruction and devastation. Continue reading...

Flooding is separate from typical US home insurance and many homeowners are not adequately coveredAs millions of US residents begin working to file insurance claims on their homes in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, many could be denied, particularly if their homes were damaged by flooding.A quirk in the US home insurance market is that flood insurance is separate from typical home insurance, which usually covers wind damage from hurricanes but not flooding. Homeowners must purchase flood insurance separately if they want their homes protected against flooding. Continue reading...

The NFL visitors are making the most of their travels before facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Tottenham on SundayBy Gavin Willacy for No Helmets RequiredBack in London for the first time in five years, Chicago Bears go into Sunday's clash with Jacksonville in relaxed mode. Having won three of their opening five games with a week off next weekend, they have reason to be enjoying the trip. The Bears took a holistic approach to their latest NFL International Series sojourn, spending all week in the Hertfordshire countryside. It's more minicamp than holiday, but the management were determined to ensure everyone has a life-enhancing experience in England regardless of what happens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against a Jaguars side far more at home in London.Playing abroad in the NFL is rather different than nipping to Europe to play a Champions League, United Rugby Championship or Super League game. The party numbers nearer 200 than two dozen, a veritable travelling circus. There is a member of football staff for almost every one of the 53 players, plus media and commercial teams. So many that they need to stay in two different hotels. Continue reading...

The assisted dying bill could alleviate the suffering of society's most vulnerable, but MPs' choice is not an easy oneFor me, the assisted dying bill being put before parliament isn't just government business. It's personal. Think of me as Schrodinger's cancer patient: simultaneously living and dying. There's nothing like the impending approach of the latter to add impetus and urgency to the former. In the two years since diagnosis, my cancer-riddled body has allowed me to engage in a surprising amount of living, from a 100-mile ultra running comeback to a two-month walk from John o'Groats to Land's End. I've found new meaning in life, and campaigning for better NHS treatment has led me to the door of No 10 Downing Street. The prime minister has said that I inspire his government's work and, even more significantly, my father is proud of me. My sister calls me her hero.But despite these two life-affirming years, only 10% of people with my disease can expect to survive for five years; ready or not, death is coming for me. Yes, in between chemo cycles and surgeries I have maintained a very good quality of life, and there have been periods in which the cancer, while incurable, almost disappeared. Nonetheless I feel myself becoming weaker, and as I approach my end it's this that dominates my thoughts. For me, death is not an abstract concept but a reality that looms large in my future.Nathaniel Dye is a teacher, musician and founder of bowelcancerbucketlist.comDo 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...

Children like me, abused under the guise of liberation', have been left out of narratives about spiritual communes - until nowIn 1978, when I was nine years old, I unexpectedly moved to India with my free-spirited mother, who had recently become a disciple of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later known as Osho). Like others of her generation, she was swept up in the allure of Rajneesh's promises: enlightenment, freedom and belonging. Osho denounced traditional religion, offering a new path to self-liberation through cathartic meditations and therapy groups, communal living and free love. In the west, they called Osho the sex guru".Shortly after our arrival at Rajneesh's ashram, I was initiated into the community and the guru gave me a new name: Ma Prem Sarito. I felt as if I now belonged, and being in the ashram was an exhilarating adventure, a portal to a world where normal boundaries dissolved. School became a distant memory. The lush gardens and nooks and crannies of the ashram were transformed into a playground where my friends and I roamed freely, liberated from structure and rules. My mother, like many other parents, embraced Rajneesh's philosophy that children belonged not to their biological parents but to the collective. Before long, I moved into the ashram and rarely interacted with my mother. Continue reading...

Trump's team reportedly ask for extraordinary' military protections, while ally calls for armed guards to be sent to polls and Harris lands her second US Vogue cover Continue reading...

Families and their pets have been rescued by emergency services after Hurricane Milton brought widespread flooding across parts of Florida. Farm animals, such as pigs, donkeys and goats have also been helped to safety. Millions of Floridians began a long and difficult recovery after the state's second major hurricane in two weeks

Sixteen people killed by storm but state spared worst-case scenario' as accusations fly between political candidatesJoe Biden said on Friday that experts estimate that Hurricane Milton caused a staggering $50bn in damage. The US president is scheduled to travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas where the huge storm roared across the state after making landfall late on Wednesday.Authorities were urgently assessing the aftermath of the deadly storm, which spawned tornadoes before slamming into central Florida and then tearing about 175 miles (280km) across land, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, killing people, destroying homes and blocking streets with downed power lines, fallen trees and debris. Continue reading...

Driver and passenger arrested after search of car in Portland turns up fentanyl, methamphetamine, cash and loaded gunPolice officers in Portland, Oregon, stopped a car Tuesday night when they noticed a bag inside that said Definitely not a bag full of drugs". It, in fact, was - full of drugs: 79 blue fentanyl pills, three fake oxycodone tablets and 230g of methamphetamine, to be exact.Officers pulled over a man and a woman who were driving a stolen car near the intersection of SE 162nd Avenue and Division, according to the Portland police bureau. Inside the car, officers noticed that the Ford Taurus's ignition had been visibly tampered with - and spotted baggies of drugs. Continue reading...

Cole Bridges pleaded guilty to terrorism charges last year after communicating online with an undercover FBI employeeA US soldier was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison for attempting to help the Islamic State murder troops.The sentencing of Cole Bridges, 24, came after his 14 June 2023 guilty plea to terrorism charges. Continue reading...

Officials call death of Patrick Weier, 46, Colorado tragedy' but police say they do not know what caused his deathThe person killed Thursday during an elevator malfunction at a former Colorado gold mine - which left 23 stranded underground - worked as a tour guide at the site, authorities said.Authorities identified 46-year-old Patrick Weier of Victor, Colorado, as the victim who died. Weier's survivors include a seven-year-old son, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Continue reading...