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Exclusive: University of Bristol academics say gambling industry code not being followed' after analysis of social media posts by leading firmsAs gambling companies target social media users, the four leading online brands appear to be routinely breaching the industry's self-imposed marketing regulations, according to a new study.Over one week this summer, academics at the University of Bristol found that BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel published more than a thousand posts - 75% of their non-sponsored content on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok - that did not include problem gambling support messages or a helpline number. Continue reading...

Trump isn't an icon of positive masculinity. He also did very little for young men during his four years as presidentIt's the most startling thing I've seen in this year's presidential campaign - the astoundingly large gap between how young men and young women plan to vote this November. Among women under age 30, an overwhelming 67% plan to vote for Kamala Harris, while just 29% say they'll back Donald Trump. But among young men, a majority - 53% - plan to vote for Trump, while 40% say they'll support Harris, according to a New York Times/Sienna College poll. That's an astonishing 51-percentage-point gender gap.It's easy to understand why so many young women favor Harris - she has an inspiring life story, champions reproductive freedom and would break the biggest glass ceiling of all by becoming the first female president. But I'm mystified why so many young men back Trump. Continue reading...

We can now endlessly outsource our small tasks, from shopping to DIY. But I really would rather do them myselfA few months ago I saw an excellent fight at my local jeweller. The owners, as well as much of the clientele, are big characters. Spats often break out. This time a customer demanded a written statement that the necklace she had brought in would be stored in a safe. The jeweller told her they don't provide this, and so the customer grew irate. You don't trust me, is that it?" said the jeweller. The woman protested: she did! The jeweller had been highly recommended. So you know who you're dealing with then," said the jeweller, proudly. The woman handed over her necklace.It was a brilliant spectacle. I wanted to cheer. Instead I asked to see the gold chains (I like the ceremony of seeing them displayed on a velvet cushion). I actually don't buy jewellery very often, but I stop in fairly regularly for minor repairs, to have links taken out or clasps fixed - and for scenes such as this.Rachel Connolly is a writer and author of the novel Lazy City Continue reading...

Spread of conspiracy theories seeks to foment early election doubts in case Trump loses, some Republicans sayDonald Trump and election denialist allies at Turning Point USA, True the Vote and other Maga stalwarts are spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud in order to lay the groundwork for charging the election was rigged if Trump loses, warn election experts and some veteran Republicans.The consequences of the strategy could be dire. John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa Arizona who spoke at the Democratic national convention in August in support of Vice-President Kamala Harris's campaign for the presidency, said that former president Trump and his allies will throw everything at the wall and see what sticks", if Trump loses. Continue reading...

It would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars and increase Harris's appeal to voters in conservative statesBefore addressing the political opportunity in front of the vice-president, let us first confront the sacred cow in the room.Contrary to recent claims by Donald Trump, JD Vance and Ted Cruz, Kamala Harris loves a good cheeseburger; she positively does not want to take our red meat away. She has cited sugars and sodas as major culprits in our poor health. Moreover, the Biden-Harris administration has demonstrated that it is unafraid to challenge the stranglehold the pharmaceutical industry has over insulin prices, and the cost that industry charges Medicare patients for drugs. Continue reading...

Visual explainer: Hundreds of millions of Americans cast their votes in the US election, but a tiny fraction of those can swing the race for one candidate or anotherIn recent years there has been growing criticism of the electoral college system in the US because it has allowed a tiny number of Americans to determine the outcome of the presidential election.In 2020, about 43,000 votes among Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona - a mere 0.03% of the votes cast nationwide - allowed Biden to win. In 2016, about 80,000 combined votes gave Trump his winning margins in key swing states. Continue reading...

Israelis have kept their contempt for the prime minister in check for the sake of the war effort. Is his time finally up?Despondent and livid Israelis, exuding deep anger and fury, have taken to the streets. Once it became known on Saturday that Hamas had executed six hostages, Israelis staged the largest demonstration against the government since the war in Gaza began. Those hostages could have been saved had Benjamin Netanyahu assented to a hostage deal. But he didn't. In fact, he actively undermined the possibility for months, evading and reneging constantly.The 350,000 who protested in Tel Aviv were the equivalent of about 2.4 million Britons or 12 million Americans gathering in the same place for the same cause. Immediately, the question of whether this was a political inflection point for Netanyahu was raised.Alon Pinkas served as Israel's consul general in New York from 2000 to 2004. He is now a columnist for HaaretzDo 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...

There are good reasons to place a political firewall around the extremists. But mainstream parties must also address the electorate's loss of trustWe're all waiting with bated breath. This is a fateful election," a friend from Leipzig told me on Sunday. It was polling day in her state of Saxony and in neighbouring Thuringia. The atmosphere was tense, even fearful. Much more was at stake than just a reshuffle of seats in two of Germany's regional parliaments.As expected, Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) won in Thuringia with nearly 33% of the vote, and came second in Saxony with almost 31%. For the first time since the second world war, a far-right party has become a significant political force in Germany.Do 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...

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden join forces in Labor Day outing, their first joint event since Harris accepted Democratic nomination for presidencyJoe Biden and Kamala Harris on Monday made their first post-convention joint appearance on the presidential campaign trail, celebrating Labor Day with a tribute to union workers in Pittsburgh.We are so proud to be the most pro-union administration in American history," Harris said. I love Labor Day. I love celebrating Labor Day, and Pittsburgh is the cradle of the American labor movement." Continue reading...

Warning comes after viral TikTok posts where customers purportedly tried to withdraw more money than they hadThe US banking giant Chase has made clear that taking advantage of a system glitch" to extract cash was fraud, plain and simple" despite it becoming a TikTok trend.Chase Bank's warning on Monday came in response to viral social media posts where customers purportedly tried to withdraw more money than they had in their accounts by exploiting a banking system delay. Continue reading...

Ellie Challis and Louise Fiddes were among the golds for Great Britain, but Jonnie Peacock failed to claim a medalWheelchair rugby: GB have a couple of sloppy moments and Australia take advantage to moved 34-32 ahead in the bronze-medal match.Dan Bethell had to settle for badminton silver after an incredible final. Continue reading...

Fifteen suspected assailants, members of the Turkey Youth Union, were detained after attack in port city of IzmirTwo US military service members were physically attacked" in the port city of Izmir in western Turkey on Monday by members of an anti-American youth group, authorities said.Fifteen suspected assailants were detained in the attack on the two service members, who were dressed in civilian clothing at the time of the incident. Five other US service members joined in the incident after seeing the violent encounter, officials said.Reuters contributed to this report Continue reading...

We look at the key deals (and non-deals) from the latest transfer merry-go-round that will influence incoming coach Mauricio PochettinoLast year's European summer transfer window delivered seismic moves for some of US soccer's biggest names, as Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah joined Milan and Timothy Weah signed for Juventus.There have been no such headline-grabbing deals for American players on the other side of the Atlantic this year, but the 2024 summer window still offered plenty of intriguing storylines. Continue reading...

Pair due to appear together in Pittsburgh in vital swing state of Pennsylvania, aimed at cementing support from unionsJoe Biden will join Kamala Harris on the campaign trail for the first time on Monday since standing aside six weeks ago to let the vice-president claim the presidential nomination following a poor debate performance.The pair were due to appear together in Pittsburgh in the vital swing state of Pennsylvania at a Labour Day event aimed at cementing support from trade unions, a key Democrat constituency and a bedrock of Biden's support as he has styled himself as the most pro-union president in US history". Continue reading...

Tech company says it will follow legal proceedings to their conclusion' after tycoon's death last monthHewlett Packard Enterprise has confirmed it will push ahead with a high court lawsuit against the estate of the deceased tech tycoon Mike Lynch in which it is seeking damages of up to $4bn (3bn).The US company said in a statement it would follow the legal proceedings through to their conclusion" despite Lynch's death last month when his yacht sank off the coast of Italy. Continue reading...

Suspected shooter, a 17-year-old boy, arrested after football player shot in chest during attempted robbery, police saySan Francisco 49er football player Ricky Pearsall was released from the hospital after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery this weekend.The suspected shooter, a 17-year-old boy, was arrested and will be charged in juvenile court, according to NBC Sports. He has not been publicly identified. Continue reading...

Trump floats God's political purpose for his survival: I'd like to think God thinks I'm going to straighten out our country'Donald Trump told a Fox News host that he thinks God believes he will straighten out" the country after he survived an assassination attempt in July at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.I think you think like, if you believe in God, you believe in God more. And somebody said like, why? And I'd like to think that God thinks that I'm going to straighten out our country," Trump told Mark Levin on Life, Liberty & Levin after the host asked him if the shooting on 13 July had strengthened his belief in the almighty. Continue reading...

Besides its underwater life, it is nothing like a fish: it can push its stomach out of its mouth and eat the inside of a clamThe thing about starfish is that you tend to forget the -fish part. But when you think about that, a lot of things come into focus. For example, the fact that besides its underwater life, it is nothing like a fish. For example: a starfish can push its stomach out of its mouth and eat the inside of a clam. Show me a fish that can do that.The ones that are most common at the beaches near me feel as though they're cut from shark skin, smooth and rough at the same time. They have webbed arms, not clearly delineated ones, and are the size of a coin. They are dull browns and greens and blues. Continue reading...

Casemiro display against Liverpool was painful, but the blame for United's early season struggles sits with an incoherent structure

General strike follows tens of thousands taking to the streets in protest against the government's handling of the war in Gaza. Plus: fears of overtourism in Norway

Former Trump aides and others say the ex-president is unfit for office and urge fellow Republicans to vote for HarrisDonald Trump has a knack for rallying a remarkable range of political opinion around a common goal: preventing his return to the White House.That now includes prominent names from his own Republican party and top aides who worked under him as president. From former White House officials and national security staff to a once-worshipful press secretary, a host of one-time Trump fans are now lining up to join Democrats in declaring him unfit for another term in office. Continue reading...

As Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders speak on Fox, Democrats could reach just enough swing voters to winPete Buttigieg, Joe Biden's transport secretary, introduced himself to Democrats at their convention earlier last month in unusual fashion. I'm Pete Buttigieg and you might recognize me from Fox News," he told the crowd in Chicago.The comment drew laughter, but beneath it was a certain truth: in the final two months of the 2024 election, politicians and campaign aides are less siloed in their ideologically aligned media bubbles in an effort to poach potentially persuadable voters. Continue reading...

Our boys are back from university, and after months of pulse-based dinners, my husband and I have rediscovered the joy of snacks. Not that we're the ones who are eating them ...How many of these cookies can I eat?" my older son texts (he is downstairs; I am up). They're really good." My fingertips tingle with satisfaction.Both boys are home from university briefly and I have a new identity: I'm an intermittent feeder. My husband and I don't exactly eat like birds in our empty nest - well, I eat like one of those gulls that shoplifts Doritos - but we shop like middle-aged people trying not to die, our cupboards boring and barren, our freezer packed with pulse-based, batch-cooked dinners. Continue reading...

My friends expected nothing less, but my habitual tardiness was more than just a quirk: it was eating away at my wellbeingIf you had asked me to describe myself one year ago, I would have led with this: I am that person who is always late. I could have also said I am 5ft 7in and love coriander, but then you wouldn't have been forewarned: being friends with me involves a lot of waiting. Ugh, sorry in advance.Then this happened. One day, I had an appointment just before meeting friends for dinner. When it ended early, I went straight to the restaurant and waited at the bar for everyone else. Ordinarily, I would have rolled in 10 minutes late, drenched in sweat and remorse. I would have been mortified to be that person, once again, who was the last to show and the reason why our table had been given away to a complete" party. After blabbering a bunch of lies to my friends about traffic and first-time Uber drivers, I would have spent the rest of the night berating myself for being, well, me.Helene Rosenthal lives in New York City and writes about families, friendships and relationships Continue reading...

JD Vance's comments on Kamala Harris reflect a stubborn debate in supposedly progressive societiesA woman without biological children is running for high political office, and so naturally that quality will at some point be used against her. Kamala Harris has, in the short period since she emerged as the Democratic candidate for US president, been scrutinised over her lack of children. The conservative lawyer Will Chamberlain posted on X that Harris shouldn't be president" - apparently, she doesn't have skin in the game". The Republican vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, called Harris and other Democrats a bunch of childless cat ladies miserable at their own lives".It's a particularly virulent tendency in the US, with a rightwing movement that is fixated on women's reproduction. But who can forget (and if you have, I am happy to remind you of a low point that still sticks in my craw) Andrea Leadsom, during the 2016 Conservative party leadership election, saying that Theresa May might have nieces and nephews, but I have children who are going to have children ... who will be a part of what happens next". Genuinely," she added, as if the message were not clear enough, I feel that being a mum means you have a real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake." Continue reading...

The Australian, like the 22-time grand slam champion, imposes himself physically on opponents - with compatriot Jordan Thompson next in his sightsAlex de Minaur got to see Rafael Nadal close-up earlier this year when he played him in back-to-back tournaments on clay. One win and one defeat was a healthy return for the Australian on Nadal's favourite surface, even if the 22-time grand slam champion was only making his way back from injury at the time. But as he continues to plot his way through the draw at the US Open, it is Nadal's philosophy that is helping De Minaur impose himself on his opponents.It was back in 2012, when he was assessing Andy Murray's defeat by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, that Nadal gave an insight into the attitude that helped to make him such a formidable competitor. Murray had led Djokovic two sets to one, only to suffer a physical and mental dip in the fourth set. He recovered in the fifth but Djokovic held on to reach the final. Murray's mistake was to let Djokovic get away just when he had the momentum himself. Continue reading...

Emma Navarro beat Coco Gauff, the defending champion, for the second grand slam in a row, while Grigor Dimitrov saw off Andrey Rublev in five setsBadosa has played the big points well so far, down 30-40 and unleashing an inside-out forehand winner - though Wang will be disappointed with the return that made it happen. Another, this time down the line, brings Badosa advantage, and from there she seals her consolidation to lead 3-0.Badosa makes 0-15 then drags a forehand wide; Wang reinforces with an ace out wide, then raises two game points with a forehand schlepped into the net. Badosa, though, saves one then clobbers a forehand winner on the leap and she's relaxing into this, you sense. And again, we wind up at deuce, Badosa cleverly working a chance to punish a further forehand winner for advantage. But then she nets one, meaning another deuce, another Badosa forehand, into the forehand corner, yanking her another break point ... and a booming rendition of the same, almost a table-tennis shot from half-court, means she leads 2-0. Wang is doing alright - well, even - but as we said at the top, if Badosa keeps the head, I'm not sure how she can be beaten here. Continue reading...

Soldiers' relatives hit out at vice-president after she said Trump disrespected sacred ground' for a political stuntDonald Trump shared statements from the relatives of 13 soldiers killed during the chaotic US evacuation from Kabul as they hit out at Kamala Harris after she criticized the former president's involvement in a ceremony honoring the service members.The dispute over the ceremony at Arlington national cemetery, during which Trump campaign aides allegedly shoved a cemetery worker so they could film Trump laying a wreath, contravening rules against political activity at the site, escalated after the vice-president said Saturday that Trump disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt". Continue reading...

ParalympicsGB won 12 gold medals to enjoy their most successful day this centuryIt's time for the gold medal race in the women's B 3000m individual pursuit. Great Britain's Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl face Ireland's Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal.Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall take the bronze medal following a dominant performance against Elizabeth Jordan and Danielle Khan in the velodrome. Continue reading...

Corey Lewandowski says management will remain despite reports of ex-president feeling superstitious and nostalgic'Trump campaign senior official Corey Lewandowski has rejected rumors of shake-up in the management of the former president's election bid, saying the operation's leadership will not change.Lewandowski, Trump's 2016 campaign manager who recently joined the 2024 team, told Fox News Sunday that campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita will remain at the top. Continue reading...

Staff demand wage increases and reversal of pandemic-era cutbacks that impose painful' working conditionsThousands of US hotel workers went on strike on Sunday for improved pay and conditions in a dispute likely to disrupt many Labor Day weekend holiday travelers, amid union warnings that industrial action could escalate.More than 10,000 workers walked off the job at hotels in Boston, Seattle, Honolulu, Kauai and Greenwich, Connecticut, as well as the Californian cities of San Francisco, Sand Diego and San Jose after contract talks with the establishments' owners collapsed. Continue reading...

Action comes after a series of ballot woes are threatening to undermine the impact of his decision to end campaignRobert F Kennedy Jr is suing North Carolina's state board of elections after it refused to remove his name from the electoral ballot following his decision to drop his independent presidential campaign and endorse Donald Trump.The legal action comes after a series of ballot woes that initially impeded Kennedy's campaign but are now threatening to undermine the impact of his decision to end it. Continue reading...

Robert always dreamed of becoming an engineer. But months into his first year, he started doubting if it was worth the immense effort

Gatherings with music and dancing have gone on for millennia. After a terrifying summer, such simple joy felt almost utopianThis column was completed in a tent on the borders of Dorset and Wiltshire, during the somewhat bleary morning that followed a brilliant Saturday night. I was among 17,000 people trying to hang on to the remains of summer in a set of fields, woodland and Victorian gardens, over four nights and three days of dizzyingly eclectic music that spanned an array of textures, genres and cultures.As sometimes happens at such events, I regularly looked around and marvelled. Most of us worry about how much human beings directly interact with each other, and the way that social media has sown misery, division and mutual loathing. But here was something completely different: a temporary town where people happily chatted with strangers, and enjoyed themselves to the full while respecting the necessary rules. In the context of a toxic and often terrifying summer, such a peacefully joyous weekend felt almost utopian. Continue reading...

More women are in chief of staff roles than ever before. With an election ahead, they've reached a pivotal momentThe halls of the US Congress were, for many years, a man's world. The first woman elected to Congress, the Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana, joined the House in 1917, three years before the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote and decades before the civil rights movement enabled ballot access for women of color.Now, more than a century later, 150 women serve in Congress, marking an all-time high. And as more women have joined the House and Senate, the ranks of senior staffers on the Hill have shifted alongside them. More women, specifically young women, are leading congressional offices as chiefs of staff, giving them invaluable access to lawmakers and opportunities to influence the policies that shape Americans' lives. Continue reading...

Climate crisis could accelerate spread of mosquito-borne diseases like eastern equine encephalitis, experts warnLocal officials in Massachusetts have issued warnings about mosquitoes carrying eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), and, in one case, placed restrictions on the use of public fields at night, prompting backlash from some residents.Public health experts, and others, are also concerned that such mosquito-borne viruses could become more common in the United States because of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

The supreme court jurist said the ruling earlier this year establishes a two-tier legal system that protects TrumpIn an interview airing on Sunday, US supreme court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson lamented her conservative colleagues' decision to grant broad immunity to Donald Trump and other presidents for official acts as essentially protecting one individual under one set of circumstances when we have a criminal justice system that had ordinarily treated everyone the same".I mean that was my view of what the court determined," Jackson said in the pre-recorded conversation for the news program CBS Sunday Morning. And she added: I was concerned." Continue reading...

Democrats target key group: conservative men who don't want big government' attacking their daughters' rightsA siren blares. Feet crunch on gravel. A county sheriff looks into a car and tells a teenage girl he knows she is pregnant. He arrests her father for driving her to a state where she can get an abortion. And you, young lady," the sheriff says, well, you're under arrest for evading motherhood."This is an advert from the Lincoln Project, a pro-democracy group, presenting a dark vision of the future for millions of American women if Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris in the presidential election and criminalises abortion nationwide. Continue reading...

The comeback could be a coup or a crash, but it has already obliterated accommodation for the 2025 Edinburgh fringeIn Russia, nostalgia is regarded as an illness," declared the mighty comedian Simon Munnery once, or at least it used to be, in the good old days." Zing! Oasis, who 30 years ago represented a kind of condensed nostalgia for the previous quarter-century of British rock, are re-forming. The cocaine dealers of Britain are already putting in advance orders so thousands of middle-aged men can stand in stadiums next summer bellowing trivial conversations about fuck all at each other all through the gigs they've paid hundreds of pounds to touts to attend. The trail of dead South American drug war casualties will stretch all the way from Heaton Park to Pablo Escobar's ruined hippo enclosure. All the same, I wish I was going.It used to be embarrassing when bands re-formed, didn't it, like your dad dancing at a wedding? But when 70s New York televisionaries Television regrouped in 1992, I was delighted, as I knew all the solos on Marquee Moon off by heart and hadn't seen them in 77 owing to being eight and preferring the Geoff Love & His Orchestra Bond themes album that I bought in Woolworths. Bands didn't get back together in those days, unless it was to cash in on the Saga holidays circuit, where my mum was disappointed to see PJ Proby fail to split his trousers on demand sometime around the turn of the century. Nostalgia, she noted, wasn't what it used to be. Continue reading...

Moving in small steps risks aggravating both Europhiles and Europhobes while doing little to help lift the economyEvery prime minister has their verbal tell-tales. Reset" is a favourite Starmerism. When he visited Berlin last week to pave the way to a bilateral co-operation treaty, the prime minister told us he was there as part of a wider reset" in Britain's relations with Europe. There was the same message when he journeyed on to Paris for a grip, grin and chat at the Elysee Palace with Emmanuel Macron. I see why he's fond of the word. Reset" conveys new thinking, a fresh start and altered priorities, while being conveniently vague about the precise direction of travel or the intended ultimate destination.Downing Street was largely pleased with the positive optics of those forays across the Channel. The encounters with the chancellor of Germany and president of France generated a more upbeat vibe than the rest of a summer punctuated by violent disorder on the streets of Britain, controversies about importing Labour cronies into Whitehall, turbulence within the party about restricting winter fuel payments and Sir Keir's winter is coming" speech in the rose garden of Number 10 warning that things will get worse before they get better". That overdid the gloom even for those in sympathy with the Tory-blaming, expectations-managing strategy behind such depressive talk. Continue reading...