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People will blame Brexit, Boris and austerity, but this country's demise goes back decades - and shows no signs of stoppingIn 1951, the county of Durham condemned 114 villages to a slow death. The older, smaller coalmines were approaching exhaustion, which meant, officials said, many of the rows of houses which grew up around the pitheads have outlived their usefulness". These rows of houses" were homes to 100,000 adults and children. Now they were designated Category D.D for de-industrial. D for demolish. D for decline.

By failing to take on clinicians who doubt the very existence of trans children and young people, the review lets down those it seeks to supportThe long-awaited Cass review of gender identity services (Gids) for children and young people is finally here, and people with a wide variety of views appear to be welcoming it. In more civil, fact-based times, in which transness was accepted as just another example of human variation, this outcome could be to its credit: appropriate for a review of clinical services by an expert clinician.However, we do not live in such times. Instead, in recent years, the UK has fallen to 15th in European LGBT+ equality rankings (in 2016, the UK ranked third) and was highlighted by the Council of Europe alongside Hungary, Turkey and Russia as a state where LGBT+ rights are under attack from political figures, including governments. We are also experiencing a steep rise in transgender hate crimes, which a UN report directly attributes to the toxic nature of the public debate surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity". Continue reading...

The biggest company on the market is threatening to leave. That is a different order of seriousness than seeing Flutter and CRH fleeLast July, Wael Sawan, the chief executive of Shell, told the BBC about the terrific time he had on a visit to the New York stock exchange. The welcome was exemplary", he enthused, and the locals even flew the Shell flag next to their own. They [the NYSE officials] said we continue to value a company that provides us the energy we desperately need," he continued, adding that he wouldn't rule out moving Shell's stock market listing to the US in time, an inflammatory suggestion given the general angst over the state of the London market.Now he's at it again. In remarks to Bloomberg published this week, he said Shell had a location" - meaning London - that clearly seems to be undervalued". His beef is the perceived undervaluation of Shell's shares versus those of New York-listed rivals Chevron and ExxonMobil. If the valuation gap doesn't close, we have to look at all options. All options," he emphasised. Continue reading...

Officers confirm man dead and five people, including a nine-year-old and 12-year-old, hospitalized as possibly two shooters at largeOne person was killed and multiple people injured, including two children, in a shooting in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.Police have issued a public alert for the car believed to be carrying the gunman that fled the scene. Continue reading...

Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, have announced a new era of military cooperation aimed at countering China, during a White House state visit. The US president said the two nations' forces will cooperate on a joint command structure and, along with Australia, develop a new air missile defence network. This is the most significant upgrade in our alliance since it was first established", said Biden.

Tokyo and Washington have struck 70 pacts on defence cooperation during Japanese PM's White House state visitJoe Biden and Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, have announced a new era of military cooperation during the pomp and pageantry of a White House state visit aimed at countering China.The US president said the two nations' forces will cooperate on a joint command structure and, along with Australia, develop a new air missile defence network. Continue reading...

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US president and allied officials fear significant' strike within days in retaliation for Israeli bombing of consular building in DamascusJoe Biden has vowed that US commitment to defend Israel against Iran was ironclad" as concerns rose in Washington that a significant" Iranian strike could happen within days, in retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian consular building in Damascus.US and allied officials fear that a strike is imminent and could come in the form of a direct missile launch from Iran, rather than an attack through a proxy like Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has vowed to respond in kind to such a direct strike, raising the prospect of a regional war, which US officials now believe is more likely than at any point since the beginning of the Gaza conflict on 7 October. Continue reading...

A deadline for the White House to review a proposal to ban the extra-addictive cigarettes expired last month with no actionA 1963 ad for Kool cigarettes features a Black man and woman, both holding lit cigarettes. The man, smiling, gazes down at the woman, who looks into the distance as she blows a stream of smoke from her mouth. The accompanying text reads: Only Kool gives you rich, mellow tobaccos ... and extra coolness ... a refreshing coolness you draw so smoothly through Kool's pure white filter ... from the very first cigarette in the morning, to your last cigarette at night."A 1971 ad from the cigarette brand L&M depicts a Black woman enjoying a luxurious bath. One arm dangles off the side of the tub, while the other holds a lit cigarette. Everybody's in bed and I'll be soon, but not yet, because the bath is so soothing and I can relax" the ad reads. This ... is the L&M moment." Continue reading...

US health and human services secretary said to have had private conversations about desire to succeed Gavin NewsomXavier Becerra, the health and human services secretary, is reportedly considering leaving his post to run for California governor.Becerra has discussed in private conversations his desire to leave Washington in November and join an already crowded field of candidates to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor, Politico reported, citing anonymous sources. Continue reading...

The sport is beset by never-ending political machinations so a rare meeting of world's best is a chance to take stockThere will be something apposite about the gathering of storm clouds above Augusta National on Thursday. You wait 264 days for a major championship round and the weather gods have other ideas. If forecasts are to be believed, competitors will be sheltering until lunchtime rather than pursuing a Green Jacket. The Open Championship last July ended in a squall; the 88th Masters will get under way in one.Augusta needs a successful Masters to demonstrate the outstanding beauty of this golf course to the world. They take that showcasing very seriously here. The sport itself requires a memorable tournament to allow disaffected onlookers to fall back in love. Golf boomed during the pandemic and participation numbers remain high; the trouble is that infighting, exorbitant payments and everything else associated with a civil war has turned off everyone beyond dedicated followers. Momentum has been lost. Vulgarity attached to LIV's rampage on to the scene has proved hugely unattractive. It is very easy to adore golf but find little appeal in the way it operates at the top level. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary tried to deflect Fox News's dumb comment about how UK streets are taken over by pro-Hamas folks', but he can't please everyoneHow much have you really engaged with David Cameron, since he became foreign secretary in November? I always get a discombobulating strobe effect, all the alternative futures that could have been: the not-Brexit, the not-Boris Johnson, the not-austerity and social fracturing, if it hadn't been for this rosy-face Duff Cooper in 21st-century fancy dress, and the incomprehensible number of people who didn't take one look at that face and run a mile. So I find him quite hard to look at.As he does the American media rounds, talking Ukraine and Gaza to wingnuts (Fox News) and sensible centrists (CNN), the look he's going for is somewhat changed. You know what they say about America, that it went from barbarism to decadence without the intervening period of civilisation (no offence, Fox News!) Continue reading...

Officials look to English investment - and March Madness - as inspirations for seven-year push before world rugby comes to townThe first US women's rugby union professional league will launch next year, key stakeholders said, vowing to show the commercial value in women's sports is not a moment but a movement", ahead of a 2033 women's World Cup on US soil.The growth of women's sports overall has been fantastic to see," Katherine Aversano, vice-president of Women's Elite Rugby (WER), told reporters, citing impressive crowds for women's rugby in Europe but also the stunning rise of US women's basketball, in particular through the March Madness college event. Continue reading...

The same countries that said never again' after Rwanda have given Israel a free pass during six months of death and destructionAs the war in Gaza grinds through its deadly sixth month and allegations of war crimes by Israel pile up, this week also marks 30 years since the world turned its back on Rwanda's Tutsi minority.The 100 days of killing that became known as the Rwandan genocide began on 7 April 1994. Hutu extremists murdered about 800,000 Tutsis while major powers, led by the US, found reasons not to save them.Chris McGreal writes for Guardian US and is a former Guardian correspondent in Washington, Johannesburg and Jerusalem Continue reading...

There are new faces on the bags, new stock in the merchandise tent and a new tee position on the par-five 2ndThe caddie scene has a different complexion before the first major of 2024. Justin Thomas announced he had parted ways with Jim Bones" Mackay last week. Tommy Fleetwood's longtime bag man, Ian Finnis, will miss the Masters as he recovers from illness at home. Mick Donaghy, who caddies for Tyrrell Hatton, is another absentee after he suffered a fall before the final round of LIV's stop at Doral. The defending champion Jon Rahm should at least have the services of Adam Hayes after he recovered from a bout of food poisoning. Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open champion, was hit by the same. I spent the weekend in the bed, which wasn't the greatest preparation," said the Australian. Continue reading...

Danielle Johnson reportedly tossed infant and nine-year-old out of moving SUV after killing Jaelen Chaney, and then died by suicideAn infant girl and her nine-year-old sister who were found on a busy Los Angeles-area freeway were thrown from a moving SUV, and investigators believe their mother was responsible and died by suicide after also killing her partner, authorities said Tuesday.The eight-month-old was pronounced dead at the scene early on Monday, and the older girl was taken to the hospital for moderate injuries, according to law enforcement officials. Continue reading...

Ford's White House photographer resigns from board, alleging it refused to honor Republican over fear of retributionGerald Ford's White House photographer resigned from the board of the 38th president's eponymous foundation and alleged it refused to honor Liz Cheney, the anti-Trump former Republican congresswoman, for fear of reprisal should Donald Trump return to power next year.The honor in question was the Gerald R Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Recent recipients include the former defense secretary Robert Gates; the late Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole and his wife, the former senator Elizabeth Dole; and the late secretary of state Colin Powell. Continue reading...

I have received many lovely messages in the weeks since my dad died - including one that will always stay with meI need to stop banging on about death and dying, I know, or people are going to start crossing the street when they see me coming. But there is one more thing I need to share. I've had many nice texts and emails from friends close and distant over the last few weeks since my dad died. Here's one that I stared at for a long time. It came from a woman I've known for 50 years, since we were kids on holiday at the seaside. Our families had neighbouring caravans on the same site on the Gower peninsula way back in the last century. Our parents were close friends; three of the four of them are no longer with us. Actually, no longer with us" is a truly crap phrase. I will not be using it again. Those we love are forever with us, obviously. Anyway, this is what she wrote. She speaks, by the way, in that astoundingly sing-song variant of the south Walian accent spoken by people from Neath.Just read your article about losing your dad. As a nurse I have been privileged to see many pass away. It's different when you love the one who passes. Your emotions will be all over the place for a while. I still have days. It does get easier and I have learned to now see mum and dad in my dreams. Sometimes, I don't want to wake. Everyone around you loves you, use their shoulder. Sending love, thinking of you. Continue reading...

This is how these bosses get rich: by hiding underpaid, unrecognised human work behind the trappings of technologyIn 2021, when Amazon launched its first just walk out" grocery store in the UK in Ealing, west London, this newspaper reported on the cutting-edge technologies that Amazon said made it all possible: facial-recognition cameras, sensors on the shelves and, of course, artificial intelligence". The first customers queued outside, excited to experience the future. I am an early adopter," one of them said. I can't wait to see how this new technology works and I think it is going to be everywhere shortly."The promise of the just walk out" stores was that customers would not need to queue for a cashier, scan their own items or even pause on the way out. They could simply take what they needed, walk out the door and the benevolent all-seeing eye of technology would seamlessly price their goods, charge their account and send them a receipt.James Bridle is a writer and artist, and the author of Ways of Being: Beyond Human Intelligence Continue reading...

Former House speaker says Matt Gaetz led charge to remove him to quash allegations Florida representative slept with a 17-year-old'The far-right Florida Republican Matt Gaetz forced Kevin McCarthy out as House speaker last year because he slept with a 17-year-old" and wanted a congressional ethics investigation to end, McCarthy charged on Tuesday.I'll give you the truth why I'm not speaker," McCarthy said, at an event at Georgetown University in Washington. Continue reading...

Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman found liable last March for trying to discourage Black New Yorkers from voting in 2020 electionTwo far-right conspiracy theorists will pay up to $1.25m in fines for launching a robocall campaign to discourage Black New York voters from participating in the 2020 election, the New York attorney general announced on Tuesday.Jacob Wohl, of Irvine, California, and Jack Burkman, of Arlington, Virginia, were found liable in March 2023 for targeting about 5,500 Black voters as part of the robocall scheme. Continue reading...

Democrats team up with Biden campaign on issue, believing it will bring victory in presidential and Senate races in NovemberDemocrats in Florida are teaming up with operatives from Joe Biden's re-election campaign in an all-out assault on Republicans' extremist positions on abortion, believing it will bring victory in presidential and US Senate races in November.They fired an opening salvo on Tuesday, tearing into Donald Trump's boasting" about overturning federal abortion protections a day earlier, and assailing the incumbent Republican senator Rick Scott for supporting Florida's six-week ban that takes effect next month. Continue reading...

A traveling welder was on his way to meet his family when he stopped to take a nap. He never arrived. Now his relatives want answers from police: We can't let this go'Daniel Barajas awoke a few minutes after 4.30am to a spotlight shining through the foggy window of his SUV on a central Arkansas highway. Two sheriff's deputies stood outside.He had stopped to sleep after a long day spent driving. A few more hours in the darkness of Interstate 30 and Barajas would arrive in Texas and meet his infant niece and nephew for the first time. Continue reading...

Chad Daybell is charged with killing wife and then girlfriend's two youngest children in case rooted in extremist religious beliefsOpening statements are expected Wednesday in the trial of an Idaho man charged with killing his wife and his then girlfriend's two youngest children in an unusual case rooted in extremist religious beliefs.Chad Daybell, 55, is facing charges of first-degree murder, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Tammy Daybell, seven-year-old Joshua JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. Last year, their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, received a life sentence without parole for the killings. Continue reading...

The Chelsea manager is walking into a US team that has found a spark again. But she faces high expectations and difficult questions as she prepares for the OlympicsOn Tuesday evening in Columbus, Ohio, the US Women's National Team came from behind before defeating Canada on penalties to win their seventh SheBelieves Cup trophy. It was the second time they had recovered from a deficit to win a match in four days. It also marked their second tournament test in a row against Canada that ended with a penalty shootout, and the second tournament in as many months when they came across a talented team, but came away with the trophy.The Canada game was the USWNT's 10th since Emma Hayes was named as their next manager, and their final match before she officially takes over next month. When the squad next assembles, Chelsea's longtime boss will be at the helm. Continue reading...

The Arizona governor, Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, called for an Arizona supreme court ruling to be repealed that permits enforcement of an 1864 law banning almost all abortions. Speaking at a press conference the governor said: 'The near total civil war-era ban that continues to hang over our heads only serves to create more chaos for women and doctors in our state.' First passed when Arizona was still a territory, the ban only permits abortions to save a patient's life and does not make exceptions for rape or incest

American appealed for conviction to be dropped after wrongly accusing Patrick Lumumba of murdering Meredith KercherAn Italian court has opened a new trial against Amanda Knox over a slander conviction she received for wrongly accusing a bar owner of murdering the British student Meredith Kercher.Knox, who, along with her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, spent four years in prison after being convicted over Kercher's murder in 2007, asked for the slander conviction to be dropped on the basis of a ruling by the European court of human rights in 2019 that found her defence rights had been violated during police questioning in 2007. Italy's top court ordered a retrial of the slander conviction in October. Continue reading...

The president of Guyana's scolding of a BBC reporter struck a chord with many who feel silenced by western dominance and the legacy of economic violenceCaribbean nations have such a long history of economic violence, manipulation and exploitation perpetrated against them by the west that it is generally expected that they take it on the chin. Recently, however, their leaders have been standing up to a spate of condescension and sanctioned bullying.In an interview with the BBC reporter Stephen Sackur, the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, displayed what can only be termed controlled rage. Ali scolded and schooled Sackur on the hypocrisy of the developed world, questioning his agenda and integrity. The interview reverberated around the global south. This was not the first time a British journalist had tried to patronise Ali. Last year, Richard Madeley, on the subject of slavery reparations with Ali, was outrageously disrespectful. Continue reading...

With less than a week until Trump faces a criminal trial, his attorneys are doing everything they can to delay it even longer

I was heckled during my time as a college player in the late 1990s. But young athletes today must endure an ocean of bile from all areas of the internetThroughout this year's men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, athletes have reported receiving death threats on social media. After LSU's loss to Iowa last week, an emotional Angel Reese said she has been receiving such threats since winning the national title in 2023. Days later, Iowa's Gabbie Marshall deleted her social media altogether due to threats hurled her way after she drew a game-clinching foul against UConn in the Final Four.On the men's side, Purdue's Carson Barrett hit a three-pointer at the end of his team's victory over Grambling State. That bucket appeared to have affected the betting outcome for people who had gambled on Purdue's margin of victory. Barrett's reward? A direct message on Instagram that told him to slit you throat" for taking that three". The sender ended the message by telling Carter I hope you kill yourself." Continue reading...

I get tons of incidental exercise, save money and don't have to worry about parking. But other people look at me aghastMy wife and I tick a lot of minority" boxes: we're a same-sex Jewish-Palestinian couple with an ethnically ambiguous child. But you know what really makes us stand out? You know what always seems to cause people to look aghast at our lifestyle? The fact that we don't own a car.Being car-free was nothing unusual when we lived in New York, an outlier in the US when it comes to vehicle ownership. But when we moved to Philadelphia (one of the most walkable cities in the US), it set us apart. Whenever our lack of a car comes up, people do a double take. You can almost see the wheels turning in their head. Are they financially destitute? Are they radical environmental activists? Are they just weird? Continue reading...

Some are outraged by a version for people intimidated' by word games. Take it from me: Scrabble rules are for breakingIt's a terrible indictment of our education system", a sad, sad indictment of modern society" and a move that will mean future generations will be deprived of their full potential". This was the reaction of outraged commenters to the launch of a new edition of Scrabble called Scrabble Together.Mattel's update of the 75-year-old tile-laying word game includes a mode in which players collaborate to make words and score the most points as a team. Cards give players hints to help them find the best words. It's intended to offer a less competitive, more accessible experience where players of differing ages and abilities can enjoy working on a puzzle together.Tim Clare is a columnist for Tabletop Gaming magazine. His book The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too will be published in November Continue reading...

Residents call for felony charges after Cody Roberts reportedly taped animal's mouth shut, took photos and killed it behind barA Wyoming hunter who reportedly ran over a gray wolf with a snowmobile, taped the creature's mouth shut, took a picture with it inside a local bar and then shot it to death behind the tavern has ignited calls for stiffer penalties in such an egregious case of animal abuse.Cody Roberts, 42, is at the center of the uproar after being ticketed and fined a couple of hundred dollars for illegally possessing the wolf while it was still alive - but so far going unpunished for the manner in which he is said to have killed the animal. Continue reading...

As the party struggles to talk about abortion, response marks fastest and strongest rebuke of bans since the fall of RoeHours after Arizona's supreme court declared on Tuesday that a 160-year-old abortion ban is now enforceable, Republicans in the state took a surprising stance for a party that has historically championed abortion restrictions - they denounced the decision.This decision cannot stand," said Matt Gress, a Republican state representative. I categorically reject rolling back the clock to a time when slavery was still legal and we could lock up women and doctors because of an abortion." Continue reading...

The criticism of David Cameron among Tory MPs shows how far the party has moved from its long-held Arabist traditionWhen David Cameron touched down in Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a meeting with the former president this week, his mind was on one thing: Ukraine. The foreign secretary has made no secret of the fact that he wants to use his stateside charm offensive to build support among divided Republicans for military aid for Ukraine, including the $60bn of new funding that is currently being blocked in Congress.Yet back home, it's a different foreign affairs issue that is showing cracks: Israel-Palestine. While the Tories and Labour are broadly aligned on the need to support Ukraine, where the two parties stand on Israel and its actions in Gaza is knottier. Continue reading...

Flirting with leaving the European court of human rights has failed to move the dial for the PM, and has highlighted his deficienciesRishi Sunak is not a deep-cover agent of the Labour party, but politics might not look very different if the prime minister were on a secret mission to make life easier for Keir Starmer.To achieve this feat, special operative Sunak would occupy positions expected of a Conservative leader, but in a way that minimised public enthusiasm and maximised division in his own party. Continue reading...

Judge reverses earlier decision and rules that ex-president must swap in pseudonyms for people to prevent threats of harassmentThe federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal case on charges of retaining classified documents ordered the former president's lawyers to redact information about roughly two dozen witnesses from a public version of one of their court filings, reversing an earlier decision that had allowed no redactions.The ruling means Trump must instead substitute pseudonyms - for instance, Trump employee 1 or FBI agent 1 - when referring to people inside Trump's orbit and others involved in the investigation that could be the target of threats of harassment. Continue reading...

Brian Dorsey, convicted of murdering his cousin and her husband, put to death amid efforts by many to have his sentence commutedBrian Dorsey, who was convicted of murdering his cousin and her husband in 2006, was executed in Missouri's Bonne Terre state prison Tuesday despite an extraordinary effort by corrections officials and his appeals judge to have his capital sentence commuted.Prison officials confirmed that Dorsey had been put to death by lethal injection. They said he had been pronounced dead at 6.11pm. Continue reading...

Republican senator says homeland security secretary is following position of party and will not vote to remove him if it goes to trialAlejandro Mayorkas is not guilty of a high crime or misdemeanour, the Republican senator Mitt Romney said, making clear he will not vote to remove the US homeland security secretary from office if his impeachment goes to a trial.Secretary Mayorkas is following the position of his party and of the president who was elected," Romney, from Utah and his party's nominee for president in 2012, told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday. Continue reading...

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Respondents tell us about personal levels of borrowing, with most saying they were now struggling to repay their debtsRobin, a 70-year-old retired arts teacher from California, survives on an annual income of $14,000 in social security payments.I became disabled and retired about 20 years ago," she says. My life became unaffordable then, but I'm very good at budgeting so I was able to manage. Continue reading...

Aimee Harris of Florida sold Ashley Biden's diary to conservative group Project Veritas in actions judge called despicable'A Florida woman was sentenced Tuesday to a month in prison and three months of home confinement for stealing and selling Joe Biden's daughter's diary four years ago to the conservative group Project Veritas.Aimee Harris was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Laura Taylor Swain, the judge who called the Palm Beach, Florida, woman's actions despicable". Continue reading...

Survey finds turnover increased from 28% in 2004 to 39% in 2022, following increased harassment and threats after 2020 electionA new study confirms what election experts have been warning about for years: increased harassment and threats following the 2020 election have led election officials to quit at higher rates than in previous election cycles.The study, conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and using data on more than 18,000 chief election officials across the 50 states, found that while turnover in election offices had been steadily increasing since 2004, election officials have left their jobs at higher rates since the 2020 election - with turnover increasing from 28% in 2004 to 39% in 2022. Continue reading...