The Guardian
1 day ago
Israeli settlers attack European diplomats in West Bank
French mayor and archbishop also attacked during violent attempt to stop Palestinians harvesting olives Israeli settler militants have attacked European diplomats, a French mayor and the archbishop of Cambrai in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, injuring three people and damaging a car, in the latest violent attempt to prevent Palestinians from harvesting olives on their own land.Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was wearing his red, white and blue sash of office and attempting to enter a vehicle with diplomatic plates when he was assaulted and knocked to the ground on Saturday. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Why Britain should reject the lure of cheap – and scary – Chinese AI
In the west the technology comes with at least some effort to provide security and a benign intent – not so from ChinaThere is much to fear from artificial intelligence developed in China and handed to businesses and governments in the west almost free of charge.Every month Chinese AI developers such as DeepSeek and Xiaomi dispatch the latest versions of their “open-weight” models that allow users to take the core software and use it without paying an expensive ongoing licence. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
‘If we burn, you burn’: hundreds arrested at protests across France – in pictures
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country to demonstrate against rising fuel prices and the cost of livingPolice clash with protesters as tens of thousands take to streets across France Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Elon Musk agrees to settle lawsuits over 2024 election lottery
Trump-boosting billionaire was sued over promise to give away $1m per day to random signatories of petitionElon Musk and his America Pac political action committee said recently that they agreed to settle two proposed class actions alleging the billionaire entrepreneur defrauded residents in closely contested states before the 2024 US election by promising voters a lottery-style daily $1m giveaway.The plaintiffs, Musk and America Pac told the judge overseeing the two related lawsuits in federal court in Austin, Texas, on Thursday that they have reached settlements subject to court approval. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Move over, pervert glasses – the latest toxic trend is robogroping
Whenever a new technology is created, it will, without exception, immediately be used to harass girls and womenYou may be familiar with rule 34 of the internet, which states that if something exists or can be imagined, there will almost certainly be online porn of it. Now let me introduce my rule 35: whenever a new technology is created, it will, without exception, immediately be used to harass girls and women.See, for example, Meta’s “pervert glasses”. As anyone could have foreseen, putting a tiny camera and microphone into smartglasses would immediately lead to people using them to record and harass women. Lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. So-called manfluencers have filmed themselves trying to flirt with women in public spaces and then uploaded the footage to TikTok. The women in these videos are often not aware they’ve been recorded until their identities are shared online and they are harassed by strangers. And what’s Meta doing about this? It’s instituted a few bans and made some privacy updates, but doesn’t seem to have an appetite to properly solve the problem. Indeed, at the Meta Connect 2026 keynote, Mark Zuckerberg did not feel the need to apologize to the women whose lives have been upended by his technology. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Inside the long, bitter fight over one man’s quest to build the biggest AI datacenter in California
A modern-day prospector promised rural Imperial thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue – but his plan has set off a firestorm of resistanceSebastian Rucci zoomed in on a map in late 2024, looking closely at a large block of brown earth. The barren plot sandwiched between sprawling alfalfa fields and sleepy desert suburbs was exactly what he’d been searching for – the perfect place to realize his dream of building the largest artificial intelligence datacenter in California.The dusty expanse wasn’t an obvious location. It was in the Sonoran desert, just north of the Mexican border, where temperatures regularly rose past 100F (37.8C). Water was scarce in the once-booming agricultural area, which gets its supply from the beleaguered Colorado River. And then, there was the city of Imperial – population 22,000 – to win over. As controversial datacenter projects have sprung up across the US, residents were naturally skeptical of a new, energy-guzzling neighbor. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Bank of England governor walks out of IMF summit in protest against Russia
Andrew Bailey among finance leaders to leave session in Bangkok when Russian finance minister addressed groupThe Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has taken part in a walkout of finance leaders who left an International Monetary Fund meeting in protest against Russian involvement.Bailey joined counterparts from France, Germany and a number of Scandinavian and Baltic countries who left the session in Bangkok when the Russian finance minister, Anton Siluanov, addressed the group in Russian. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
From 3,000 feathers to pet portraits, Rolls-Royce rides high on custom craze
In our second in a series on high-end UK manufacturing, we visit the artisans producing rich clients’ bespoke luxury cars‘Our town is making jeans again’: meet the firm reviving jobs and skills in WalesThey are the plaything of kings, presidents and A-listers, with Rolls-Royce enthusiasts ranging from the Sultan of Brunei to Rowan Atkinson, from King Charles III to Kermit the frog.And at the carmaker’s factory in Goodwood, West Sussex, special requests from customers get more indulgent every year. An interior lined with 3,000 iridescent feathers, or a built-in champagne cooler, or a car built in homage to its owners’ dog, have all become part of the job. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
UAE agrees with Saudi Arabia to re-enter Yemen conflict amid Houthi gains
United Arab Emirates will reportedly resume payments to Yemeni forces as gains by Iran-backed Houthi fighters alarm Gulf state rulersYemen civil war: what sparked latest escalation and who is involved?The United Arab Emirates has agreed to re-enter the Yemen conflict by resuming payments to some government forces fighting Iran-aligned Houthis in the south, according to sources in Yemen. In return, Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide air cover for the anti-Houthi force.The new cooperation agreement is the first tangible sign that the deep rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over Yemen’s future is starting to be healed – if only because the advance by Houthi forces across Yemen has alarmed all the rival Gulf state rulers. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
The power of AI is worrying senior Labour figures – as is the fear of ‘falling behind the public’
Westminster appears to be waking up to warnings over AI safety, with concerns over its use by extremist groups and bad actors“I have this sense that, within a few months, AI is going to be all anyone is talking about,” said one cabinet minister, with an ominous stare.It was Labour conference, with everyone from ministers to activists jubilant at Andy Burnham’s takeover and a bounce in the polls after the change of leader. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Briton threatened with deportation from Sweden over Brexit rules goes into hiding
Mark Smith, who has severe health issues, says he was told three times he needed to do nothing in order to remain after BrexitA seriously ill British man living in Sweden has been forced into hiding amid fears he will be deported as a result of what he says is a government Brexit residency error.Mark Smith, 60, who has had heart attacks, strokes, severe headaches and chronically high blood pressure that has been difficult to treat, was told on the phone he should leave Sweden by 17 October as he was an “alien” without permission to stay. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Fake Linda and me: the Agatha Christie-worthy mystery of the fraudster who stole my byline
How a string of bizarre events led writer Linda Geddes to don her sleuthing cap and dig into a world of shadowy impersonatorsIt started with an entirely ordinary interaction on LinkedIn. Someone had tagged me in a post, saying how much they’d enjoyed contributing to a New York Post article I’d written about “chronoworking”. As the author of a book about circadian rhythms, it was exactly the sort of subject I might write about. Except I’d never heard of this person, let alone interviewed them.I clicked on the link and my stomach dropped. There, above an article about people who organise their working lives around their biological clocks, was my name: Linda Geddes. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Madeline Horwath on AI food advertising – cartoon
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The Guardian
1 day ago
‘Countries are defying gravity’: how much longer can global economy resist chaos?
Sky-high oil prices and geopolitical turmoil have made less of a dent than feared … just don’t bank on it to lastInside the vast, glass-walled Queen Sirikit conference centre in Bangkok, the air-conditioned atmosphere was calm as policymakers from more than 100 countries gathered this week for the International Monetary Fund’s annual meeting – and contemplated the surprising strength of the global economy.A small army of smiling, uniformed Thai staff were on hand to explain the baffling geography of the heavily guarded building, where lunch options were as cosmopolitan as the delegates – including, improbably, a Burger King. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
‘You can’t make this stuff up’: why we remain fascinated by Elizabeth Holmes
The entrepreneur turned fraudster is the subject of an Oscar-tipped new documentary that takes an unusual look at her strange legacyDavid Agus’s first encounter with Elizabeth Holmes at a health conference came as a shock. The Holmes he met in the green room was personable and pleasant. The Holmes he interviewed on stage was altogether different.“The accent changed: this deep voice, very serious,” Agus, a medical oncologist, recalls by phone from Los Angeles. “It was as if I had met a person and then interviewed a separate person. That transition from the green room to the stage – I had never experienced something like that before.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
The hill I will die on: Cinemas have been getting away with lies. Films should begin on time | Jeffrey Ingold
If cinemas must run 20 minutes of adverts before a feature, they could at least be honest about it. Or, I have a better solution …Do you remember the last time you were lied to? I certainly do. I was tricked by the North Finchley Vue, which sold me and my boyfriend tickets to a 7.15pm showing of The Odyssey. Guess what was playing at 7.15pm? A car advert. Ten minutes later, it was a trailer for the horror film Werwulf. Then there was an advert for Vue – as if I wasn’t already there. The film was half an hour late to its own showing when it finally started at 7.45pm.I am sick and tired of cinemas getting away with such treachery. I don’t want to follow in the footsteps of my friend, who knows that the ads at her local run for 22 minutes so slinks in at just the right time. I shouldn’t have to do mental maths because I am being lied to by cinemas. We are all the victims of their predatory time-wasting system.Jeffrey Ingold is a freelance journalist covering LGBTQ+ issues, music and culture Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Squash down: smaller pumpkins expected this Halloween after drought in England
Data shows 2026 could be worst harvest on record, as growers suggest painting faces on vegetables instead of carvingIn the lead-up to Halloween, front porches across the country feature fat, proudly carved pumpkins, lit from within by tea lights.But this year there is likely to be a shortage due to drought, experts have warned, with the squashes much smaller than usual. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Stinky business: south London bike shop hit by ‘unbearable’ stench from Thames Water sewer
Owner and mechanics fear for their health and future of the Herne Hill shop with no date for fixing problemThe leafy south London neighbourhood of Herne Hill is a haven for cyclists who can often be seen lapping the local parks and refuelling at the many cafes that line the suburban streets. But there is something foul in the air of this corner of the capital – and for once it’s not the traffic fumes hitting bicycle riders.A toxic stench thought to be caused by untreated sewage stuck in Thames Water drains has been emanating from the subterranean depths for months, most likely caused by the summer’s lack of rain. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Plan to make firms pay more to train older workers than youth apprentices in England
Exclusive: Ministers considering overhaul of apprenticeship funding scheme to tackle youth jobs crisisEmployers in England are to be forced to pay more to train an older worker than a youth apprentice under plans being drawn up by the government to tackle the youth jobs crisis.The Guardian understands ministers plan to overhaul Labour’s apprenticeship funding scheme to increase the cost of training by 25% for a worker over the age of 25 in order to encourage businesses to train young people instead. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
‘Austerity is inevitably painful’: How Michael Gove justifies his politics | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty – podcast
For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible, the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator’s position on IslamWatch the full episode with Michael Gove here. Aditya’s suggested reading:To read the fruits of Michael Gove’s dalliance with the Marxism Today gang, look up his essay in a 1998 collection called The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of BlairFor slalom ride through Michael Gove’s years in power, read The Demented Dalek by the historian Richard J Evans in the London Review of BooksTo learn more on what’s become of the British right, there’s a column by me for the GuardianJust why the most successful political party is now failing is analysed in-depth by Phil Burton-Cartledge in his book The Party’s Over: The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives from Thatcher to SunakPhil also writes a very good blog on British politics, which keeps a close eye on how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters. Here he is on Kemi BadenochGeoffrey Wheatcroft does an entertaining short narrative in Bloody Panico!:or, Whatever Happened to The Tory PartyFor more on the economics of the Cameron years, this paper is acute on how the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors will join us for a podcast later in the series.And if you want to read how Brexit may have cost the UK 8% of GDP, there’s this paper based on data from the Bank of EnglandFinally, on the Spectator read Nesrine Malik’s recent column in The GuardianWhy has Britain’s oldest political magazine become such a rabid cheerleader for Islamophobia? Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Palantir patient data tech rejected by many NHS trusts in England
Exclusive: health bodies across country say controversial US firm’s data platform no better than systems already in useNHS organisations that care for millions of people in England are rejecting Palantir’s patient data technology, according to freedom of information responses that reveal health bosses believe they can find better or equal alternatives in many cases.Some health bodies said the £330m federated data platform (FDP) operated by the controversial US company had made it easier to manage waiting lists and has improved surgery scheduling. But, from Gateshead to Truro, others said they were declining to use it or had carried out trials and reverted to old systems. A Suffolk trust said other systems “supercede” the FDP’s functionality, while Greater Manchester’s care board called the Palantir system “duplicative” and “retrograde”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Which coffee chain was founded in London in 1971? The Saturday quiz
From Divine, Frank Fiegel and Helen Kane to the West Sussex estate pioneering rewilding, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 Which classic of political theory was dedicated to Lorenzo de Medici? 2 What is the only jazz act to win the Mercury Music prize? 3 Spanish is an official language of which African country? 4 What 2026 release is said to be the most expensive entertainment product ever created? 5 Which West Sussex estate is a pioneer of rewilding? 6 Which gas is named from the Greek for “lazy”? 7 US doctor Sara Cohen writes bestsellers under what pseudonym? 8 Which coffee chain was founded in London in 1971? What links: 9 c 6000BC; 79; 512; 1631; 1906; 1944? 10 Divine (witch); Frank Fiegel (sailor); Helen Kane (flapper); The Beatles (vultures)? 11 Mark Brown; Mo Johnston; Kenny Miller; Steven Pressley? 12 Bag; dismiss; plunder; sherry for Falstaff? 13 Caring; Elvis; Famous Five; Revenge; Travolta? 14 Grease; A Chorus Line; Cats; The Phantom of the Opera (currently)? 15 Martin Gilbert; Roy Jenkins; William Manchester; Andrew Roberts? Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
UK sees growing demand for help bridging gap between end of work and start of pension
Fixed-term annuities give income for a set period – such as five or 10 years – and an agreed lump sum at the endFinancial firms are reporting growing demand for a product that helps bridge the gap between stopping work and getting your pension.Sales of retirement annuities have risen sharply during the last couple of years, and now advisers are seeing a fresh surge of interest in what they say is one of the market’s “lesser-known” options. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
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