THE GUARDIAN

Governor Greg Abbott orders arrest of Democratic legislators who fled state; ex-leaders of statistics bureau say firing of commissioner ‘undermines credibility’ – key US politics stories from 4 August 2025Texas governor Greg Abbott on Monday ordered the department of public safety to arrest and return any House member who had left the state and “abandoned their duty to Texans”, as Democrats thwarted plans to redistrict the state along lines that would favour Republicans.“There are […]

Artificially generated video of Oliver, one of 17 victims of the shooting, addresses Acosta in ‘one of a kind interview’Jim Acosta, former chief White House correspondent for CNN, stirred controversy on Monday when he sat for a conversation with a reanimated version of a person who died more than seven years ago. His guest was an avatar of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.The video shows […]

Having lost key players at the back, it appears Bournemouth’s buy-low sell-high model will be tested if they are to again challenge for a European placeGuardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position: 9th Continue reading...

US claims judge attempting ‘to silence opposition’ as Bolsonaro accused of breaching ban imposed amid fears he may abscond ahead of trialIn a move immediately condemned by the US, a Brazilian supreme court judge has ordered the house arrest of former president Jair Bolsonaro for breaching “preventative measures” that were imposed ahead of his trial for an alleged coup attempt.According to the ruling on Monday by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the far-right leader breached a ban on using […]

Combs was acquitted last month of most serious charges in sex-trafficking trial but convicted on two lesser countsSean “Diddy” Combs cannot go home from jail to await sentencing on his prostitution-related conviction, a judge said on Monday, denying the mogul’s latest bid for bail.Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into having drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them. Continue […]

Some asylum seekers will be sent back across Channel for first time under treaty agreed with French presidentThe UK will begin detaining people who arrive on small boats and returning some to France “within days” after the EU gave the green light to a deal agreed with the French president, Emmanuel Macron.The treaty between France and the UK will allow the Home Office to return some asylum seekers back across the Channel for the first time in exchange for accepting others directly from […]

British No 1 needed replacement for Mark PetcheyNovak Djokovic pulls out of Cincinnati OpenEmma Raducanu has added Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig to her team on a full-time basis before this month’s US Open, it is understood.The 2021 winner at Flushing Meadows has worked with British coach Mark Petchey on an informal basis since March and enjoyed a positive run of results. However, Petchey’s TV commitments meant he was always unable to become Raducanu’s full-time coach and […]

Summerhall, EdinburghIn its aim to avoid big topics – politics, gender, climate – the Canadian pair’s superb show attempts an escape from contemporary chaosIf the end of the world is a party, I want these two feral slugs to be our hosts. Fever-dreamed by Canadian clowning duo Creepy Boys, this absurd existential rave is brilliantly smart and beautifully stupid.Wriggling on to the stage in sleeping bags with puffy vulval gaps for their faces and arms, Sam Kruger and SE Grummett insist, […]

Seven workers were also among victims taken outside of Port-au-Prince in ‘planned act’ in middle of nightAn Irish missionary and a three-year-old child are among nine people missing in Haiti after a mass kidnapping from an orphanage in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.The victims were seized from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage in the commune of Kenscoff, about 6.2 miles (10km) south-east of the capital on Sunday, officials said. Continue reading...

Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained seven months ago on espionage charges while on global motorbike trip A British couple detained in Iran for seven months on espionage charges have been moved to separate prisons in and near Tehran, heightening fears for their welfare, their son said on Monday.Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52 and who previously split their time between south-east England and Spain, were seized in Kerman, in central Iran, in early January while on a round-the-world […]

Girl died in hospital after initial treatment at scene, police say, as water park announces a day’s closureA four-year-old girl has died following an incident at a swimming pool at Waterworld in Staffordshire, police have said.Officers were called to the water park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, at about 4.20pm on Monday to reports of a child in a critical condition. She was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital for further treatment but later died. Continue reading...

Thirty minutes simply isn’t enough time to do justice to such a colossal event. Let’s hope the BBC have something more fitting lined up to mark its 80th anniversary than Jordan Dunbar’s documentaryLast year, the documentary Atomic People told the stories of some of the survivors of the nuclear bombs dropped in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most of them nonagenarians, some in their hundreds, they described with unfaltering clarity their experiences of being caught in the blast. They […]

Young winger showed great promise in the 4-1 rout of Athletic Bilbao as Anfield paid its respects to Diogo JotaA vacancy has arisen on the left of Liverpool’s forward line and an early, eye-catching application to fill the role has arrived from a 16-year-old. Rio Ngumoha further enhanced his first‑team claims with a sparkling display against Athletic Bilbao that underlined the formidable strength, and options, available to Arne Slot.Ngumoha opened the scoring superbly and teed up a goal for […]

Hundreds could join weekend rally in support of proscribed group as 300 UK Jewish figures urge PM to lift banHow will police respond to rally against Palestine Action ban?The controversy over the ban on Palestine Action deepened on Monday, with police warning of mass detentions if a weekend protest goes ahead.The Metropolitan police made clear it would arrest anyone breaking terrorism laws, as Downing Street urged people not to attend any protest. Continue reading...

Main man Finn Russell was at the heart of everything the Lions did, but Australian duo Tom Wright and Charlie Gamble also win praiseMan of series Finn Russell was at the heart of everything the Lions did well. Calm, assured, skilful and accurate from the tee. Chapeau. Continue reading...

Former director general died on Sunday night ‘surrounded by her beloved family and dogs’Stella Rimington, the first female director of MI5 and the first head of the domestic spy agency to be publicly named, has died aged 90.She died on Sunday night “surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath”, her family said in a statement. Continue reading...

Video posted online showed the far-right activist near a man lying on the ground at St Pancras stationThe far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson has been arrested by British police on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a man was allegedly assaulted at a London railway station.Robinson was arrested on Monday evening at Luton airport as he stepped off a flight from Faro, Portugal. Continue reading...

Coastguard and police continue to scour land and sea for Michele Bourda, who was last seen on a sunbedA mammoth search-and-rescue operation for a British woman last seen lounging on a sunbed in Greece has intensified days after her “mysterious” disappearance.The Hellenic coastguard, backed by a flotilla of pleasure craft and fishing boats, has fanned across the waters off Ofrynio beach near the northern town of Kavala, where Michele Bourda, 59, went missing on 1 August. Continue reading...

Traverse theatre, EdinburghBuried trauma surfaces at a family reunion in Karis Kelly’s darkly funny Northern Irish drama that attempts to capture a broader history of violenceKaris Kelly’s drama won the Women’s prize for playwriting in 2022 and you can see why. Set amid a family reunion dinner in Northern Ireland, only the women are present here. And in the way of many such theatrical reunions, it leads to an almighty blow-up, yet there is no hint of cliche. Kelly is a talented playwright […]

Despite tough talk on sewage and pay, ministers refuse to challenge the water industry’s broken model – leaving private capital in charge of a troubled public serviceDespite the noise around England’s sewage scandal, the political response so far has mostly generated headlines, not real consequences. Ministers performatively “rage” about polluting water companies. Regulators are rejigged. Laws are passed. Yet little actually changes. The latest manoeuvre by Yorkshire Water is a case […]

The likely closure of one of Germany’s most famous gay dance venues is a depressing sign of the times, as cherished institutions struggle to stay afloatReflecting on his burst of musical creativity in 1970s West Berlin, David Bowie reportedly said that recording albums in a studio close to the Wall gave him a “sense of being on the edge … I need the dangerous level, emotionally, mentally and physically”. During the 1970s and 80s, Bowie was not alone. The divided, fascinating city was […]

Heavy drinking at concert as well as how staff were deployed could have been factors in fatal fall, say witnessesOasis fans who witnessed a fatal fall at Wembley during a reunion concert on Saturday have questioned the security setup and the amount of alcohol being consumed in the stands.The Metropolitan police said a man in his 40s died after suffering injuries consistent with a fall at the end of the band’s performance at about 10.19pm on Saturday night. On Monday, the Met announced that […]

England’s Baz-era has been maddening to many but this was another moment it gave us utterly thrilling cricketWell, that was something new. Have you ever seen the one‑armed man running a bye to the keeper while 20,000 people leap and writhe and hold their heads and the one-armed man shouts in agony?Have you ever seen figures picked out in silhouette at the top of the stand, posed in perfect shapes of triumph, dread and fear because another gobbet of time has passed, another dot, because […]

‘Wolves need to know humans are bad,’ says US department of agriculture representative, explaining unusual strategy to save cattleMarriage Story, Noah Baumbach’s drama starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a divorcing couple engaged in a raging custody battle, won universal acclaim from critics and numerous awards, including six Oscar nominations and one win, for Laura Dern’s barnstorming attorney.But perhaps the highest honour has just been revealed by the Wall Street Journal, […]

Steve Witkoff to travel to Moscow before US president’s Friday deadline after which new sanctions could be imposedDonald Trump’s special envoy is expected in Moscow days before the US president’s deadline on Friday for Russia to make progress on ending the war in Ukraine or face increased US sanctions.Trump said Steve Witkoff would visit Moscow on Wednesday or Thursday. When asked what message Witkoff would take to Russia and what Vladimir Putin could do to avoid new sanctions, the US […]

Patches, gum, lozenges and hypnotism ... none of it worked for me in the long term. If an effective remedy had existed back then, I would have jumped at itIf there was a five-minute nuclear warning, I’d run straight to my local shop and buy a pack of cigarettes. Even now, after all these years. I stopped more than a decade ago – note that I say “stopped” rather than “gave up” because the latter implies a sacrifice, and I have been brainwashed (OK, hypnotised) not to use the term. […]

Prime minister faces a choice between high tariffs or giving up cheap oil, putting New Delhi’s non-alignment policy under severe strainThe relationship between India and the US is facing one of its most significant challenges in decades, as the Trump administration doubles down on its demands that India stop buying Russian oil or face punitive tariffs.The US president, Donald Trump, has refused to cut tariffs on Indian exports to the US, as he has for other countries, and on Monday said he […]

Readers respond to the PM’s announcement that Britain will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel keeps to a ceasefireI’m puzzled by the conditions Keir Starmer has set for Israel to meet, failing which he’ll recognise Palestine as a state (UK to recognise state of Palestine in September unless Israel holds to a ceasefire, 29 July). Why does recognition depend on Israel’s actions? Surely it should depend on Palestine’s: commitments to abjure terrorism, disarm Hamas, […]

Readers respond to the Edinburgh race report series of articles on the university’s reckoning with its historical links to slavery and colonialism I read with interest the two pieces on the University of Edinburgh’s human cranium collection and its use in theories of biological determinism and racial superiority, beginning in the 18th century (‘Taken without consent’: The complex history of Edinburgh’s skull room, 29 July)(Edinburgh University’s ‘skull room’ highlights its […]

There is widening inequality in pensioner incomes, writes Dr Carole Easton, while Jenny Chittenden says many retirees give back to family and communityPhillip Inman writes that “Early retirement is a wealthy indulgence that needs to be discouraged” (Get early retirees off the golf course and back to work – why early retirement isn’t good for UK plc, 26 July). He elicits cliches of golf courses and cruises enjoyed by older people who are not working. The reality for many, however, is […]

Hanging on the telephone | Right to buy | Donating your body to science | Uncanny Lehrer | Lee MarvinEmma Brockes’ article threw open the door to landline memories (Worried about your child’s screentime? Get a landline, 31 July). When it rang, the enthusiasm that came with the conviction “it’s for me” v the reluctance when seemingly knowing “it’s not for me”. This was undoubtedly because the phone in a cold hallway meant no one wanted to leave the warmth and TV in the sitting […]

A single missing word in the 1902 poem sparks a deeper look at rhythm, dialect and longingSea-FeverI must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by. And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face and a grey dawn breaking. Continue reading...

Hollywood star’s ‘more is best’ attitude to commercial tie-ins is one thing, but politics and celebrity rarely mix wellIt is one of the questionable perks of Donald Trump’s “wall of sound” approach to communication that the slightly icky moment when the world of Maga and one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars connected was broadcast live and uncut.As the US president boarded Air Force One, a reporter asked whether he had any thoughts on Sydney Sweeney, a “very hot actress right […]

Boy and girl, both 17, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the protected animalsTwo teenagers have been detained for the “sadistic” torture and killing of two kittens found cut open and hung in a wooded area in London.A 17-year-old boy, who said he had dreamed of killing a human, butchered a small black kitten and hung it with rope near Ruislip, in the north-west of the capital, in May. Continue reading...

Marcus Johnson’s successful claim means more consumers can access a multi-billion-pound compensation schemeWill I receive a car loan payout and how much might I get?Marcus Johnson never expected he would be rushing to a car park during a family holiday in Somerset to discuss a ruling by the highest court in the UK. But the 35-year-old factory worker from Cwmbran in south Wales also had little idea that a loan he took out in 2017 to buy a second-hand Suzuki Swift would place him at the heart […]