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Rusty Hicks ist besorgt, dass sich Democrats im „open“-System gegenseitig verdrängen und Republicans den Sieg zuspielen könnten. Der Vorsitzende der California Democratic Party sagt, er wolle die idiosynkratische „open primary“ des Bundesstaates abschaffen; er nennt sie einen Fehlschlag, der riskiert, ein überfülltes Feld von Democratic-Kandidaten so gegeneinander auszuspielen, dass ein Republican zum Governor eines der „bluest states“ in den US gewählt werden könnte. „Das aktuelle System, das wir haben, funktioniert nicht“, sagte Rusty Hicks in einem Interview. „Es muss überarbeitet oder aufgehoben werden.“ Weiterlesen...

Der World Press Freedom Index, der 180 Länder bewertete, stellt fest, dass der etablierte Journalismus ‚erstickt wird‘Die Pressefreiheit weltweit ist laut einem einflussreichen jährlichen Index, der den wachsenden autoritären Druck auf die Medien hervorhebt, an ihrem tiefsten Punkt seit einer Generation angelangt.Der Durchschnittswert für die 180 vom World Press Freedom Index bewerteten Länder, der von Reporters Without Borders (RSF) zusammengestellt wurde, war der niedrigste in der 25-jährigen Geschichte des Index. Weiterlesen...

Medienmogul in Abwesenheit geehrt, während Kritiker seine 20-jährige Haftstrafe unter dem nationalen Sicherheitsgesetz anprangern. Dem inhaftierten Medienunternehmer Jimmy Lai wurde der Freedom of Speech Award der Deutschen Welle für seinen Beitrag zur Pro-Demokratie-Bewegung in Hongkong verliehen. Der deutsche öffentlich-rechtliche Sender teilte am Donnerstag mit, dass Lai der Preis in Abwesenheit in seiner 12. Ausgabe am 23. Juni beim DW Global Media Forum in Bonn verliehen wird. Weiterlesen...

• Der Wohnungsbauminister und der Staatssekretär für Wohnungsbau sind die jüngsten Kritiker dieser Idee, die zudem von der Downing Street 10 ausgeschlossen wurde. • Hochrangige Minister haben die Idee, die Mieten im privaten Sektor für ein Jahr einzufrieren, verspottet – weniger als 48 Stunden nachdem der Guardian enthüllte, dass Rachel Reeves dies in Erwägung zog. • Steve Reed, der Wohnungsbauminister, und Matthew Pennycook, der Staatssekretär für Wohnungsbau, gehören zu den jüngsten Regierungsvertretern, die das Konzept kritisierten, welches inzwischen von No 10 verworfen wurde. Weiterlesen...

Das Urteil ist ein Schlag für das Office for Students, nachdem dieses eine Geldstrafe aufgrund des Umgangs mit Protesten gegen die Ansichten einer Professorin zu Transrechten verhängt hatte. Die University of Sussex hat eine Geldstrafe in Höhe von 585.000 £ der englischen Hochschulaufsichtsbehörde aufgehoben, nachdem das High Court die Behauptungen zurückgewiesen hatte, die Universität habe gegen Redefreiheitsbestimmungen im Zusammenhang mit ihrer ehemaligen Professorin Kathleen Stock verstoßen. Das Urteil ist ein schwerer Schlag für die Glaubwürdigkeit und das Management des Office for Students, nachdem das Gericht die langwierigen Untersuchungen der Regulierungsbehörde über den Umgang von Sussex mit den Protesten gegen Stock aufgrund ihrer Ansichten zu Transgender-Rechten und ihrem anschließenden Rücktritt im Jahr 2021 zurückgewiesen hat.

Labor steht unter Druck, Gruppenstimmzettelsystem abzuschaffen, da Avi Yemini Pläne detailliert, Stimmen bei der Landtagswahl an konservative Parteien zu leiten

• Die Downing Street gibt an, dass der Fokus weiterhin auf der Senkung von Rechnungen, der Unterstützung von Mietern und der Senkung der Energiepreise liegt. • Die Downing Street hat einen Mietpreisstopp im privaten Sektor zurückgewiesen, obwohl Rachel Reeves die Tür für diese Idee offen hielt, nachdem der Guardian enthüllte, dass die Kanzlerin dies als Option zur Senkung der Lebenshaltungskosten in Erwägung gezogen habe. • Ein Sprecher der Downing Street sagte am Dienstag, dass ein Einfrieren der Mieten im privaten Sektor „nicht der Ansatz sei, den wir verfolgen werden“, nachdem Quellen dem Guardian mitgeteilt hatten, dies sei die bevorzugte Lösung von Reeves, um mit dem Anstieg der Wohnkosten infolge des Iran-Krieges umzugehen.

One by one, the pins have been knocked out from under B.C. businessman Fred Sharp: He's been fined tens of millions of dollars for his role in stock-market schemes, he's banned from equity markets in Canada, his bank accounts were frozen. But he still has his freedom, and it's not clear why.

Sakharov prize winner was given eight-year sentence after process widely condemned as politically motivatedThe Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, the 2025 Sakharov prize winner, has been freed after five years in a Belarusian penal colony as part of a US-brokered multi-country swap deal.His release has been confirmed by Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, who posted a picture of him on social media, saying: “Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend.” Continue reading...

FTSE 250 firms Paragon and OSB Group, owner of Kent Reliance and Precise Mortgages, slide on London Stock ExchangeRachel Reeves considering rent freeze to limit Iran war falloutBusiness live – latest updatesShares in some of the UK’s biggest buy-to-let lenders such as Paragon and One Savings Bank have fallen after it emerged that the chancellor may make private landlords commit to a one-year rent freeze.In an effort to protect households from rising living costs as a result of the Iran war, Rachel Reeves is considering whether to ban landlords in England from increasing rents for a limited period of time, the Guardian revealed on Monday night. Continue reading...

Journalists face rising threats while media ownership is concentrated in fewer hands, leading civil liberties group warnsJournalists in the EU face increasing levels of harassment, threats and violence, while news outlets are owned by a shrinking number of proprietors and public trust in the media has plummeted, a report has found.The Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said the findings of its fifth annual media freedom report, released on Tuesday, should place EU officials “on high alert”, with media freedom and pluralism “under sustained attack” across mainland Europe. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sources say chancellor is examining exceptional measures to protect household budgetsRachel Reeves is considering imposing a one-year rent freeze on private sector homes amid growing alarm in government about the impact of the Iran war on voters’ budgets.Landlords in England would be banned from raising rents for a limited period of time under the proposals, which are being debated within government as part of a major cost of living package to be launched in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

• The New Orleans Saints completed a trade acquiring a former top-10 draft pick, signaling aggressive roster building by the franchise. • The transaction represents the Saints' strategic approach to addressing roster needs during the offseason. • The move reflects New Orleans' commitment to competitive roster construction ahead of the upcoming NFL season.

Janet Mills says moratorium would’ve been ‘appropriate’ if it didn’t interfere with ongoing datacenter project in MaineThe Democratic governor of Maine on Friday vetoed a bill that would have made it the first US state to impose a moratorium on large new datacenters, even as local opposition to the electricity-hungry facilities grows.The decision reflects the difficult trade-off facing political leaders, who must weigh the impact of datacenters on the environment and household energy bills against the millions of dollars in investment and tax revenue they can bring. Continue reading...

• Kenneth Walker III has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent, joining Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champions. • The running back addition strengthens Kansas City's offensive backfield ahead of the 2026 NFL season. • The move reflects the Chiefs' continued roster building to maintain their competitive edge in the AFC.

Justin Sun alleges World Liberty Financial installed tools to prevent sale of his tokens after they became tradeableBillionaire crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Tuesday sued World Liberty Financial, the digital currency venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons, alleging that World Liberty illegally froze his holdings of tokens issued by the company.Sun, the largest investor in World Liberty, alleged in the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California, that the company secretly installed tools to prevent the sale of his tokens after they became tradeable in September 2025. The lawsuit also alleges that World Liberty threatened to “burn” – or permanently delete – his holdings, even while they were in Sun’s digital wallet. Continue reading...

Office for Students plans new complaints system as Bridget Phillipson says academics too often are being silencedUniversities in England that fail to protect free speech could face fines of £500,000 or 2% of their income, and in some cases risk losing public funding, under a new complaints system, the government has said.The Office for Students (OfS) will run a “first-of-its-kind” scheme from the new academic year allowing university staff, external speakers, and non-student members to raise concerns about providers, the Department for Education (DfE) said. Continue reading...

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMurder charge laid after woman’s body found at homeA 25-year-old man will face court after a woman’s body was found at a home. Continue reading...

Justin Sun said World Liberty Financial built a ‘backdoor blacklisting function’ that froze his account. ‘We have the truth. See you in court,’ the company respondedSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe largest investor in Donald Trump’s crypto venture has claimed that the firm “secretly” implemented a tool to unilaterally freeze his holdings of its cryptocurrency. He claimed the company could do the same to any other user.In posts on social media platform X on Sunday, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun said, without offering evidence, that World Liberty Financial had embedded what he described as a “backdoor blacklisting function” in the blockchain-based contracts used for the WLFI tokens. Continue reading...

Party says plan for ‘radical change’ will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlordsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted manifesto pledges.The party is enjoying a bounce in Scottish opinion polls, with some putting it ahead of Labour, driven partly by the surging support for the Green party of England and Wales under the leadership of Zack Polanski. Continue reading...

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was arrested after reporting on friendly fire incident during US conflict with IranMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe detention of a prize-winning international journalist over his reporting of a friendly fire incident in Kuwait is raising questions about the crackdown on freedom of speech across the Middle East as a result of the US-Israel war with Iran, the Committee to Protect Journalists has warned.Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, born in the US and a Kuwaiti national, was arrested on 3 March during a brief visit to Kuwait. He published footage of a US air force F- 15 E Strike Eagle crashing in al Jahra west of Kuwait city. On his Substack he said the pilot and weapons officer had successfully ejected and survived. He added that video circulating online showed local residents assisting one of the crew in a civilian truck. Continue reading...

Zegler won the Olivier award for best actress in a musical for her role in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘genius’ productionOlivier awards 2026: full list of winners‘I want to thank my amazing husband, who doesn’t exist!’ – Olivier awards’ best quotesIt was the most talked about theatre scene of the year: Rachel Zegler performing Don’t Cry for Me Argentina from the balcony at the London Palladium to crowds gathered on the street below. At the Olivier awards on Sunday night, Zegler delivered the song from Evita again – this time on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall – and took home the award for best actress in a musical.Host Nick Mohammed said that Zegler had become “a new landmark for London sightseers” during Evita’s run last summer. “People who hadn’t bought a ticket could effectively watch it live for free whereas everyone inside had to pay to watch it on a giant screen,” he explained, jokingly calling it “a business model that I’m sure could really catch on”. Continue reading...

• The Texas Rangers signed future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to a four-year, $80 million contract to bolster their 2026 rotation. • Scherzer, 41, posted a 3.28 ERA across 28 starts last season with the New York Mets, demonstrating continued durability. • The Rangers project as World Series contenders with the addition of Scherzer joining Corey Seager and Kyle Schwarber in their lineup.

• The European Union imposed sanctions on 45 Russian businessmen and military contractors on April 9, freezing their assets and banning transactions worth an estimated €8.3 billion in response to what Brussels termed "financing of the war in Ukraine and sanctions evasion."​ • The new measures target individuals accused of shell company networks used to circumvent previous sanctions, with particular focus on the defense and energy sectors supplying Russian military operations. • EU officials stated the expanded sanctions list represents the 14th round of measures against Russia since February 2022, with the bloc pledging continued escalation if Moscow does not halt military operations.

• The U.S. State Department announced the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, marking a key diplomatic achievement. • The press statement highlights ongoing efforts to secure the freedom of detained U.S. citizens abroad amid heightened global tensions. • This development follows recent foreign policy shifts, potentially signaling improved negotiations with adversarial governments.

• The Las Vegas Raiders signed unrestricted free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, announced Monday, adding veteran leadership to their roster. • Cousins enters his 15th NFL season after spending the previous years with other franchises, bringing extensive experience to the Raiders organization. • The signing represents a significant move during the 2026 NFL free agency period as teams reshape their rosters ahead of the new season.

NSW follows Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia in offering free treatments for kids four and under, saving up to $70Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHundreds of thousands of children will be able to access a painless, needle-free flu vaccination for free as governments attempt to curb falling vaccine rates.New South Wales has become the latest state to offer a nasal spray flu vaccine to children for free, following Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Continue reading...

Reduced public holiday services and school holidays heighten pressure on network, leading to overcrowdingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPassengers have been forced to stand for hours and many were unable to board services over Easter as Victoria’s regional train system strained under the combined weight of a long weekend, school holidays and fare-free services.Reports of overcrowding on V/Line services escalated on Friday and Saturday as public holiday timetables reduced services, amid increased demand after the state government introducing free travel during April. Continue reading...