Government talks up pact but Venezuelan opposition alarmed that democracy yet to return after Maduro exitTrump administration officials on Tuesday defended a highly contentious deal giving the US control of a significant chunk of Venezuelan oil reserves, arguing that the sweeping agreement would help stabilize and rebuild democracy in the shattered South American country while giving Washington vital access to strategic crude reserves.Last week, Donald Trump announced a groundbreaking" deal that would give the US majority" control over 65bn barrels - roughly one-fifth - of Venezuela's oil reserves. Continue reading...
Resolution Foundation argues that UK's internationally low tax wedge' must rise to pay for defence ambitionsThe chancellor, John Healey, must be prepared to raise taxes for middle earners if he wants to fund significantly higher defence spending, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has said.Healey resigned from Keir Starmer's government in June, protesting against what he argued was the then prime minister's failure to adequately fund defence. Continue reading...
More than 1,000 people confirmed dead and more than 4,000, including 36 British nationals, remain missingA British aid worker was mistakenly identified by Nepalese authorities as a rescued survivor after returning to Kathmandu on a humanitarian aid flight.Alastair Chambers, a 45-year-old former Gloucester councillor, said he flew to Nepal last week to distribute sleeping bags, food and essentials to communities cut off by collapsed bridges. Continue reading...
Markwayne Mullin says officers could be deployed if there is a threat to that polling place or we're serving a warrant'US homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday said that federal immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) officers could be deployed to polling sites across the country.Speaking to reporters in New York, Mullin said: ICE isn't there to patrol the polling places. We're there to enforce specific threats." Continue reading...
Experts say ruling could undermine the actual malice' standard and make publishers more wary of critical reportingA $300,000 jury verdict won recently by a Louisiana supreme court justice who sued the Advocate, the state's largest newspaper, for libel over an editorial has caused concern among some US press freedom defenders.One said the decision demonstrated a misunderstanding of a key legal principle governing such cases. And another worries the verdict could have a chilling effect on the media industry's efforts to report critically on powerful people and institutions. Continue reading...
Cash announced after horror car crash that killed two police officers and house fire in which woman and young girl diedCleveland's police force is to receive a 2m funding boost to tackle serious crime, after the home secretary said successive high-profile crimes in the Middlesbrough area had led to a sense of disquiet" in the community.Shabana Mahmood and the prime minister, Andy Burnham, paid tribute in parliament on Tuesday to police constables Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, who were killed when a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the A66 dual carriageway collided head-on with their marked response vehicle. Continue reading...
Police urged people in Overasselt to stay indoors after one person died and 34 were arrestedAuthorities have arrested 34 people, including French, Belgian and Algerian nationals, after a person died in a pre-dawn shootout in a Dutch village reportedly linked to a notorious drug lord.Police urged people in Overasselt, near the German border, to stay indoors with doors and windows shut in case further suspects were on the loose. Continue reading...
Michigan Senate candidate accuses vice-president of dog whistle' and says Republican policies are true evilAbdul El-Sayed, the Democratic US Senate candidate in Michigan, has hit back at Republican vice-president JD Vance's onslaught against him, saying it is evil" to deprive people of healthcare and affordable groceries.Vance, in a Monday speech that railed against undocumented immigrants, cast El-Sayed as representative of terrible evil" and as someone who fights for one group at the expense of others". Continue reading...
Two people shot dead and suspect later died in hospital after shooting in parking lot of Venture-N barAuthorities in Tucson, Arizona, are investigating a shooting outside a gay bar that left three people dead as a possible hate crime.The shooting occurred shortly after midnight on Monday in the parking lot of Venture-N, according to Tucson police. The suspect, identified by police as 44-year old Ousman Ceesay, allegedly killed 42-year-old Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and 33-year-old Cameron Davis Capara. Continue reading...
The star has denied allegations of bullying and harassment in the workplace in a suit that has now been thrown out of courtA federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the remaining claims in a well-publicized lawsuit against Lizzo's production company, declaring that the case brought by her former wardrobe stylist could not proceed.The ruling by US district judge Fernando L Aenlle-Rocha comes nearly two years after he dismissed Lizzo as an individual defendant from the case brought by Asha Daniels against the About Damn Time singer and her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc Daniels first filed her lawsuit in September 2023, alleging that she was subject to bullying as well as sexual and racial harassment in an unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture". Continue reading...
Reform leader said inquiry had been widened but watchdog is not believed to have decided whether to do soNigel Farage is facing questions about why he claimed his finances were the subject of a second standards investigation, as he was sworn in again as Clacton's MP.The Reform UK leader said when he resigned in July that the standards system had become a political tool" because yet another standards investigation is under way" into his finances. Continue reading...
The prime minister said Britain needed to be brutally honest about the mistakes of the last 40 years of UK politicsAndy Burnham has blamed Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for a decade of low growth in the UK, arguing that Britain needs to be brutally honest about having taken a series of wrong turns" in the last 40 years.In his first Commons appearance since he took over as prime minister about six weeks ago, Burnham told MPs he wanted to build a new sense of optimism so we can make this next decade better than the last".Hinted that he would commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, saying he had appointed John Healey as his chancellor precisely because" of his position on military spending.Signalled he is open to renationalising the water industry - saying he is looking at all possible solutions", as the sector is a leaking monument" to the failures of privatisation.Opened the door to looking again at electoral reform in Labour's next manifesto. I do believe there needs to be a mandate to make that change. There are different views in this house, but I believe we will need to get a consensus at the next election. And if there is that consensus, then a change can be made in the next parliament."Announced he would attend the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey and continue pursuing green energy - but that he would be pragmatic" on supply, amid expectations he will approve the Jackdaw gasfield. The mistake is saying it's got to be one or the other for political purposes. The truth is, it's going to have to be both." Continue reading...
More than 170 Jewish artists, also including Joel Coen, Hannah Einbinder and Miranda July, have supported the actor after he criticized ParamountA collective of more than 170 prominent Jewish artists and academics - including Todd Haynes, Joel Coen, Miranda July, Hannah Einbinder, Wallace Shawn and Naomi Klein - have signed an open letter supporting Mark Ruffalo.The actor had been accused of invoking antisemitic tropes after he criticized Paramount Skydance, the media company owned by David Ellison, a Donald Trump ally. Ruffalo had spoken out about the $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD). Continue reading...
Foreign secretary tells MPs he will try to stop illegal settlements carving up the West BankEd Miliband has promised to reset" Britain's policy on Israel, saying he will try to stop British companies helping build settlements in the West Bank.Speaking to the Commons for the first time as foreign secretary, Miliband said he would set out measures to prevent UK involvement in projects such as the illegal E1 plan, which critics say would split the West Bank in half. Continue reading...
Continuing resolution to approve government spending until 11 December passes 370-48 and will now go to TrumpThe US House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation to prevent a government shutdown through the midterms, as both parties opted to defuse a volatile dispute ahead of the November elections that will decide the balance of power in Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency.A continuing resolution (CR) authorizing government spending until 11 December passed the House by a 370-48 vote, with only 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats in opposition. Had it not passed, lawmakers would have had until the end of September to approve new funding or face a government shutdown. Continue reading...
Russia believed to be behind hybrid activities in Germany and Europe, minister saysOver in Brussels, the European Commission is just starting its first midday briefing of the autumn.It opens with an announcement that Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will receive Nato's Mark Rutte tomorrow. This comes amid growing scrutiny of Russia's activities on the eastern flank. Continue reading...
PM says he has a clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong' with UK, and pays tribute to Keir Starmer after his predecessor quit parliamentMy colleague Richard Partington, the Guardian's senior economics correspondent, grew up, like Andy Burnham, in the Warrington suburb of Culcheth. He has been home to find out what people there are saying about the new PM.Yesterday, Kemi Badenoch announced a reshuffle, replacing Mel Stride with Andrew Griffith as shadow chancellor and Priti Patel with Tom Tugendhat as shadow foreign secretary. Continue reading...
The latest swoop - for Bodycote, another FTSE 250 industrial firm - has barely raised barely an eyebrow in WestminsterThe UK is the business of reindustrialising", says the prime minister. If we are, an increasing portion of the activity will be under foreign ownership. Tuesday brought yet another overseas private equity swoop on a FTSE 250 industrial firm.This time it's the Macclesfield-based Bodycote, which describes itself as the world's largest service provider of heat treatment and specialist metallurgical technologies" - think, for example, processes and coatings to toughen jet engine blades. The buyer is the US buyout firm Veritas for 1.65bn or 940p a share, or 1.85bn including debt. Unless, that is, the rival bidder, CVC, a European private equity firm, comes back for another bite, which the market clearly thinks is a possibility because Bodycote's shares closed at 955p. Continue reading...
First minister sets out his government's agenda and defends policy described by industry groups as a potty gimmick'John Swinney insisted on Tuesday he still planned to introduce a legally binding price cap on bread, milk and other essential food items in Scotland despite fierce opposition from farming and business groups.Unveiling the Scottish National party's programme for government - the equivalent to the king's speech - the first minister said he wanted to give families greater peace of mind at a time of rising prices". Continue reading...
Exclusive: Two congressmembers respond to revelations of government snooping on journalists, non-profits and unionsTwo congressional Democrats asked a government watchdog on Tuesday to investigate the Trump administration's use of an obscure law to secretly collect records on journalists, non-profits and unions without judicial oversight.The request from the Oregon senator Ron Wyden and the representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington seen by the Guardian comes amid mounting scrutiny over the way the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently used its power to issue administrative summonses related to customs matters to make extraordinary unilateral demands for information. They sent their request to the government accountability office (GAO), the non-partisan congressional watchdog. Continue reading...
Brother of former treasurer and premier faces questions about texts that appear to indicate he was aware of fast-tracking policy before it was announced
Meteorologists say average mean temperature of 16.5C was made 130 times more likely by climate crisisThis year's summer was the UK's hottest on record, according to provisional Met Office data, with the season's mean temperature made 130 times more likely as a result of the climate crisis.The summer saw record-breaking and back-to-back heatwaves scorch much of Europe. In England, temperatures peaked at 38.1C (100.1F) at Kew Gardens in London on 13 August, with June already confirmed as the country's hottest since records began in 1884. Scientists have said these heatwaves are only possible because of the climate crisis driven by burning fossil fuels. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#7835P)
Campaigners say some care boards in England flouting their legal duty, resulting in cruel' postcode lotterySeriously ill children are being denied the chance to die at home because the NHS in many parts of England is flouting its legal duty to provide the care needed to make that happen, critics say.The widespread failure to provide at-home end-of-life care is forcing children who want to die at home to instead do so in hospital. Campaigners have described it as cruel". Continue reading...
Spectacular Villa Aurora, which was nearly destroyed in last year's fires, leading the recovery as Pacific Palisades emerges from a dark chapterA hillside villa that served as a cultural hub for German writers and artists fleeing the Nazis and narrowly escaped destruction in last year's Los Angeles wildfires reopened its doors to the public this weekend, marking the latest milestone in the city's slow recovery from one of the darkest chapters in its history.Hundreds of friends of the Villa Aurora, a 1920s Spanish Mediterranean house that has taken on a second life as a cultural center with a fierce commitment to artistic freedom, international dialogue and democracy, crowded into the house on Sunday to mark the resumption of speaker events and artistic residencies. Continue reading...
First big storm of season could reach hurricane force and is expected to bring potentially heavy rains and floodingTropical Storm Edouard headed toward the US Gulf coast early on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen significantly - possibly reaching hurricane force - before bringing potentially heavy rains and flooding into parts of Texas and Louisiana.The storm was upgraded on Monday night from a tropical depression, and forecasters with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expect it will make landfall in Texas later on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Artist rose to prominence in 2018 by painting his eponymous tag in public spots across southern EnglandThe street artist Helch, known for murals and tags across England, has died, his gallery has said.He rose to prominence in 2018 by painting his eponymous tag in capital letters across a string of public spots in London as well as bridges on the M4, M1 and M25. Continue reading...
Rollback of roadless rule' expected to benefit companies US Forest Service chief, Tom Schultz, previously lobbied forDonald Trump this month announced plans to rescind a landmark rule that has protected old-growth forests in the US for 25 years. If finalized, the rollback is expected to benefit the companies that Tom Schultz, chief of the US Forest Service, represented in his previous roles as a timber industry lobbyist and executive, according to research by consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen.The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more commonly known as the roadless rule", was adopted in 2001 to limit development in roughly 45m acres of national forest. Industry interests and Republican representatives have long lobbied for the rule's rescission, which would open up those swaths of untouched land to road construction, drilling and logging. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in Pattaya on (#782ZV)
Security stepped up in Pattaya before arrival of thousands of sailors and marines, whose deployment was extended due to US war in IranAuthorities in the Thai resort city of Pattaya have stepped up security as they prepare to welcome thousands of sailors and marines from the USS Abraham Lincoln after more than 270 consecutive days at sea.About 600 officials will provide security and other necessary assistance," the provincial governor, Narit Niramaiwong, told AFP. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Some staff call decision a betrayal of young apprentices who are often selected to increase diversityThe BBC is facing internal anger after a group of apprentices were told they could no longer expect jobs they had been promised, as a result of the corporation's sweeping cuts programme.In a sign of the pressure the BBC is under to find savings, apprentices working with BBC News were told that exceptional circumstances" meant the broadcaster could no longer stand by its pledge to find them permanent positions. Continue reading...
Meteorologists release list of monikers for potential storms this season after 40,000 suggestions from publicFrom a five-year-old weather enthusiast to a beloved animated sheep - the inspiration for the list of storm names for this autumn and winter is wide and varied.Austen, Boelo and Chloe will be the first named storms of this winter, meteorologists have revealed, after more than 40,000 suggestions were submitted by the public.Austen IrelandBoelo (Boo-loh) NetherlandsChloe UKDano (Dah-noh) NetherlandsEvelyn IrelandFinn UKGwendolyn NetherlandsHeather IrelandIvy UKJade NetherlandsKilian IrelandLaoise (Lee-sha) IrelandMiriam IrelandNicola UKOlaf NetherlandsPhelim IrelandRuban UKShaun UKTheo UKVesna (Vehs-nuh) NetherlandsWende (Vhen-duh) Netherlands Continue reading...
Liberal party figure tells inquiry he never asked Jean Nassif for payments for political outcomes' as lawyer tells him she is gobsmacked' by his obfuscation'The younger brother of Dominic Perrottet has insisted he never asked a fugitive property developer for money for political outcomes - including at a meeting at fine-dining restaurant Nobu in Crown Casino, an inquiry has heard.On Tuesday, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) heard that developer Jean Nassif had withdrawn from a scheduled videolink appearance from Lebanon later this week, after Charles Perrottet faced questions about the dinner meeting between the two men in Melbourne in May 2021. Continue reading...
Author and Kentucky native, who celebrated the farming world of his home state and warned of the excesses of industrial society, died at homeWendell Berry, the Kentucky-born author and agrarian whose poems, stories, novels and essays celebrated the farming communities of his native state and warned of the excesses and misjudgments of an industrial, commercialized society, has died aged 92.His daughter, Mary Berry, confirmed on Monday that he died in his home in Port Royal, Kentucky. Continue reading...
As families await news of missing loved ones, the disaster is a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is creating a fast-growing threat. Plus, the town considered India's Jurassic Park'It has been hard not to despair while watching the ruinous floods swallow parts of Nepal, and harder, still knowing that the agony compounds each passing day for dozens of Indian families whose members remain unaccounted for.Social media is awash with desperate pleas, photos and details of the young and old, men and women, from Mumbai to Kolkata, posted by families searching for traces of life. The disaster unfolded when a melting glacier slammed into the valley below, unleashing a deadly cascade of rock and ice down the Bhote Kashi River, which flows from Tibet into Nepal. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#782YA)
Annette and Kevin Maxwell say children with special needs have become moneymaking tool for private companiesAnnette and Kevin Maxwell were nervous about sending their son Jonah to a residential home for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Jonah has severe autism - he is non-verbal, has epilepsy and behavioural problems and needs round-the-clock care.It was a huge decision, but we almost had no choice because with Jonah at home, you can't work and we had two other children to think about. He's beautiful, but he is very, very complicated," said Annette. Outsourcing parenting is just foreign to us and it's horrible, but we didn't have another option." Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: First minister John Swinney has pledged to put an end to violence against women and girls. But can he turn ambitious laws into real change?Good morning. Violence against women and girls, in all its myriad forms - physical and mental, blatant and insidious - is a global challenge. It reaches back through millennia and, lately, it has been turbo-charged by technology, which offers abusers new ways to shame, harass and monitor victims. What would it take to eradicate it?Scotland's first minister John Swinney wants to find out. Today, he will set out his programme for government (the Holyrood equivalent of the King's speech), and Swinney surprised many when he pledged to put ending violence against women at the heart of his government's ambitions for the coming year and beyond.Nepal-Tibet | Rescue teams are working to reach more than 900 missing hydropower workers, who are thought to be trapped in underground areas in Nepal, after the devastating flash floods.Iran | The new US sanctions campaign is expected to push many Iranians into deeper poverty as food inflation soars.UK | The British Museum privately hosted Palantir founder Peter Thiel in a private viewing of the Bayeux tapestry, the Guardian understands.Slavery | Countries are legally obliged to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave tried, and address the legacy racial discrimination, a UN committee has said.US news | A Las Vegas jury has found former South Side Compton Crips gang leader Duane Keith Davis guilty of the murder of Tupac Shakur, bringing the case to a close nearly 30 years after the famous rapper was gunned down. Continue reading...
Beijing-Taipei tensions a feature at meeting in Palau, with Australia and New Zealand saying the forum - not another country - will determine who attendsChina said it had serious concerns about Taiwan's presence at the annual Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, warning of consequences" after the democratically ruled island attended the group's opening ceremony on Monday.China views Taiwan as its own territory, and China-Taiwan tensions have featured prominently at the meeting, which is intended to demonstrate regional unity. Continue reading...
In-store inflation rises to an annual 1.5% in August, according to a survey for the British Retail ConsortiumThe pace of price rises in UK shops rose to its highest level in two years in August, a trade body index shows, with higher energy costs pushing up the price of food and AI chip demand making technology more expensive.In-store inflation stepped up to 1.5% year on year in August, up from 0.9% in July, led by prices for tinned and packaged food which increased by 2.5% against 1.1% in the prior month, according to data from the research company NIQ for the British Retail Consortium. Continue reading...
Exclusive: 7,280 suspected illegal spills in rivers and sea recorded in first five months of 2026The number of suspected illegal discharges of raw sewage into rivers and seas by water companies during dry weather increased significantly during the first five months of 2026.Dumping raw sewage into waterways during dry spells via overflows amounts to pollution. It is considered a breach of the permits given to water companies and is illegal. Discharging during dry weather increases the toxicity of the sewage pollution entering waterways. Rivers have less flow and volume, and there is no rainwater to dilute the sewage pollution entering the waterway. Continue reading...
U-turn on early release scheme will create stresses and strains' on prison system, says former justice secretaryAndy Burnham is taking a big risk" by seeking to continue running prison capacity to the limit, according to the former justice secretary appointed by Keir Starmer to oversee a review of sentencing.As parliament resumes on Tuesday, the government will confirm its U-turn on its early release scheme, which would have seen thousands of prisoners released early as part of a plan to ease prison overcrowding. Continue reading...
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