Activists

• The White House hosted a closed-door briefing for election denial activists, organized by Cleta Mitchell and requiring attendees to sign nondisclosure agreements. • The session featured materials reportedly recycled from conservative media, serving as a precursor to a primetime speech by Donald Trump. • Lauren Groh-Wargo of Fair Fight Action warned that the Election Integrity Network is linking debunked 2020 claims to potential government actions.

Exclusive: Party hoped to mount serious challenge in mayoral race but attention has been diverted to EssexUK politics live – latest updatesReform UK activists have been urged to divert from the Greater Manchester mayoral byelection to support Nigel Farage’s “fake” contest 250 miles away in Clacton.A WhatsApp message shared with party members in north-west England said: “The message could not be more clear. We now need all of our fantastic activists, branch officers and councillors to come and help us in Clacton.” Continue reading...

Monika Silva Koniuszek died from a blow to the head and strangulation, a postmortem found, despite government claim of suicideCampaigners in Ecuador say a Polish anti-corruption activist who investigated allegations against the family business of the country’s rightwing president was murdered to silence her.Monika Silva Koniuszek, 41, was found dead in her home in Montañita, a coastal town in Ecuador’s Santa Elena province. The single mother of daughters aged four and nine, was found on the floor with a noose around her neck on 8 June. Continue reading...

Defendants worry that changes could remove chance of acquittal based on jurors’ consciences in defiance of the lawClimate activists fear that delays to their cases may mean they lose the right to a trial before jurors, who are typically more likely to acquit them than a judge.Scores of defendants facing trials for protests as long ago as 2021 have had proceedings repeatedly postponed and worry that by the time their cases are heard, government changes limiting the right to jury trial may be in force. Continue reading...

Fifa has defended its Aramco sponsorship, saying revenues are reinvested back into football at all levelsAs scorching temperatures beat down on World Cup soccer games across North America, climate activists – including former and current professional athletes – are calling for Fifa and other professional sporting organizations to cut ties with the oil and gas industry.“Sport, especially football, has the power to influence and inspire billions of people,” said David Wheeler, an English former professional footballer, who supports the campaign. “Fifa should be harnessing that power to do good.” Continue reading...

Groups cite detainee maltreatment and degradation of surrounding land as reasons to close facility permanentlySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAn alliance of environmental groups has welcomed reports that detainees have been moved from Florida’s notorious “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail, but have promised to press ahead with legal action to ensure its permanent closure and the restoration of the fragile Everglades wetlands where it is located.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement late on Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and authorities in Florida “have moved illegal aliens from the soft sided facility [and] transferred them to other facilities” for their safety, citing this month’s beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. Continue reading...

Four found guilty will face tougher conditions as judge says actions were ‘designed to intimidate the UK government and a section of the public’Four Palestine Action activists who smashed up drones and other equipment at an Israeli arms manufacturer’s UK factory will be sentenced as terrorists, a judge has ruled.Mr Justice Johnson made the ruling at a sentencing hearing on Friday for Samuel Corner, 23, Charlotte Head, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, who were all found guilty of criminal damage last month in relation to a 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems UK site in Gloucestershire. Corner was also convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent for striking Sgt Kate Evans with a sledgehammer. Continue reading...

Green surge in local elections and recent polling of Labour members may cause government to toughen stance on IsraelUK politics live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesPro-Palestine activists believe there could be a “sea change” in the Labour party’s approach to the crisis in the Middle East which could result in the government taking a tougher stance on Israel.Campaigners have pointed to the threat posed to Labour by the Green surge in the local elections, the likely departure of Keir Starmer from No 10, and new polling which shows an appetite among Labour members for a ban on all arms shipments to Israel. Continue reading...

Federal prosecutors unsealed indictment against activists trying to force the school to cut financial ties to IsraelSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailFederal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday against eight pro-Palestinian activists who are accused of conspiring to run a criminal intimidation campaign against University of Michigan officials while trying to force the school to cut financial ties to Israel.The indictment also describes vandalism against some companies that operate in Michigan and against the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Continue reading...

Obstetricians and gynaecologists say anti sex-selective abortions bill ‘predicated on misinformation’ and ‘underlying aim is to restrict access to abortion’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe man who wants to ban “sex-selective abortions” is the first person who will tell you it won’t work.New South Wales Libertarian party MLC John Ruddick has introduced legislation that would see health practitioners sent to prison or fined thousands if they carry out a termination because of the sex of a foetus. Continue reading...

Sydney crowd told to target National MPs as upper house prepares to vote on a bill outlawing sex-selective terminationsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s Barnaby Joyce has joined pro-life campaigners to pile pressure on Nationals MPs to vote to criminalise some abortions ahead of a tight vote in New South Wales.Anti-abortion activists have threatened to campaign for One Nation against major parties to force new limits on terminating pregnancies on the back of its polling surge. Continue reading...

Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, who have both been accused of propagating antisemitism, barred from visiting for eventThe UK is failing to protect freedom of speech, prominent activists have said, after the government banned two leftwing US political commentators from entering the country to attend speaking engagements.Cenk Uygur, the host of the Young Turks online political talkshow, and Hasan Piker, who runs his own hours-long stream each day, were both due to appear at SXSW London, while the former said he had also been due to speak at an event run by University of Oxford students. Continue reading...

‘At some point the statements have got to end and the action needs to begin’, member for Chifley saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor MP Ed Husic says Australia has tolerated poor behaviour from the Israeli government for too long, calling for a “red line” from Canberra including tougher sanctions, an end to defence cooperation and a block on supplying parts for the F-35 fighter jet.Husic - the former industry and science minister – said a pattern of bad behaviour from the government of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, included mistreatment of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and the destruction of Australian war graves. Continue reading...

Activists detained by Israel after attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of Global Sumud Flotilla arrive in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians returning home from detention in Israel say they were abused, tortured and demeaned while in custody and have asked to meet with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.Nine of the 11 Australians who joined more than 400 people from around the world on an aid flotilla to Gaza returned home on Monday, where they were met with hundreds of supporters after landing at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports. Continue reading...

Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall said to be exploring ways independents can work more closely together. Follow today’s news liveTeal party speculation ‘not a surprise’ says cabinet ministerMark Butler says he’s not surprised to see speculation that the community teal independents could form a party – with the political spectrum in “flux” right now.They’ve [teal independents] obviously made inroads in particular communities in Australia. They’ll make their own assessment about whether that works for them.There obviously is a lot of flux in the non-Labor parts of politics right now, so to see speculation like that’s perhaps not a surprise. Continue reading...

Israeli prison service denies claims of abuse, including beatings, during detention of 430 people trying to take aid to Palestinians• Ben-Gvir’s template of televised abuse was honed on PalestiniansActivists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to take aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organisers have alleged, with several hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.Israel’s prison service denied the allegations, and Reuters was not able to verify them independently. Continue reading...

• Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party is undergoing a structural overhaul, facing the necessity to dissolve and reconstitute several of its local branches. • In international news, Israel has deported activists associated with a Gaza flotilla, while Australia's feral horse population in the Kosciuszko region continues to surge. • At the Giro d’Italia, Afonso Eulálio extended his overall lead following Alec Segaert's successful attack on stage 12.

Up to 70% of girls may be in early or forced marriages but law now makes divorce impossible if husbands disagreeChild marriage appears to have been legally recognised for the first time by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as activists say “shameful” new laws make it almost impossible for girls and young women to seek divorce against their husbands’ will.There are no official statistics on forced and underage marriages in Afghanistan, but activists say it has risen at an alarming rate in recent years, driven by the ban on girls being in education after the age of 11. Continue reading...

Eleven Australians were among pro-Palestine activists detained by Israel from the Global Sumud flotilla. Follow today’s news liveGood morning and welcome to Friday, we’ve made it. It’s Nick Visser here again to take you through the day’s news. Here’s what’s on deck:The 428 activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, including 11 Australians, have now been released by Israeli authorities after they were detained earlier this week. One of those Aussies said they were in custody for about 80 hours and denied food and water, “but it is nothing compared to what happens to Palestinians”. Continue reading...

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has triggered global outrage after sharing footage of himself taunting bound activists who had been detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid. The video has been widely condemned by world leaders, including the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and by Israeli politicians, among them the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s chief Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Israel widely criticised after security minister’s video shows humiliating treatment of people on flotilla headed for Gaza The UK has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires as international outrage escalates over a video posted by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted.The global outcry continued as Israel began releasing hundreds of the activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and are in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organisation working with the flotilla. Continue reading...

Australia’s foreign minister condemns video posted by Israel’s national security minister taunting detained activists. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has condemned the actions of Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who posted a video of himself abusing bound activists captured while trying to sail an aid flotilla to Gaza.Wong joined international condemnation of the footage, which shows Ben-Gvir waving an Israeli flag, mocking and taunting the detainees, including shouting: “The people of Israel live” in the face of one bound man. In a statement, Wong said: “The images we have seen are shocking and unacceptable”.We condemn the actions of Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained. I have asked Australia’s Ambassador to Israel to make representations to Israel, reiterating our call for the release of the detained Australians and for Israel to ensure no ill treatment of any detainees and to act in line with international obligations. Continue reading...

US vice-president appeared to align with attendees of Tommy Robinson’s ‘unite the kingdom’ rally in LondonUS vice-president, JD Vance, has urged anti-immigration activists in the UK to “keep on going” after tens of thousands gathered for a rally in London.Vance appeared to align himself with those who attended a march on Saturday where the far-right activist Tommy Robinson told supporters to prepare for the “battle of Britain”. Continue reading...

Global Sumud Flotilla organisers say 38 ships holding 319 activists were about 250 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza when they were interceptedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEleven Australians attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of a global flotilla have been detained by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Cyprus, with the government “urgently seeking” confirmation of their welfare.On Monday local time, the Global Sumud Flotilla alleged the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) encircled 38 ships that were part of a fleet of 54 boats which left Turkey last week for the embattled strip, which remains under naval blockade by Israel. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer accuses Robinson of ‘peddling hatred and division’ and archbishop of Canterbury urges people to ‘choose hope’ Eleven foreign far-right activists have been blocked from the UK ahead of a rally by Tommy Robinson supporters as Keir Starmer accused him of “peddling hatred and division”.The archbishop of Canterbury urged people to “choose hope”, and faith leaders spoke out before the rally on Saturday, the second of its kind after more than 100,000 attended one last year. Continue reading...

Judge’s ruling was not disclosed to jurors in two trials and can only now be revealed after reporting restrictions liftedFour Palestine Action activists convicted​ after a retrial over a violent protest at an Israeli arms manufacturer’s UK site face being sentenced as terrorists despite the jury not being told this.In an unprecedented move in a criminal damage case, the judge, Mr Justice Johnson, ruled before the first trial that there appeared to be a “terrorist connection” to the offences – even though the protest took place before Palestine Action was proscribed – but this could not be told to the jury. The finding and the restriction on telling the jury continued for the retrial. Continue reading...

Organizers, including Selma foot soliders, say ruling is latest chapter in long battle over Black disenfranchisement in USThe supreme court’s recent decision to gut the Voting Rights Act is an affront to everyone who marched, bled and died to make that law possible, civil rights activists said.“When we look at the supreme court’s action against the Voting Rights Act, it’s really a kneecap – a way to discriminate, to silence voters who fought so hard for this right,” said Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who, at eight years old, marched with civil rights leaders in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage’s party sees local elections as showcase for a sleeker approach borrowing from an unlikely sourceNigel Farage was midway through his walkabout of Waltham Abbey when a hunting horn loudly sounded on the Essex market town’s pedestrianised high street. “Oi oiii!” exclaimed the owner of Ouch Tattoos, Rob Chillingworth, putting down the instrument and reaching out a welcoming hand to the approaching Reform UK leader.For Farage, this was the latest stop in a midweek tour of half a dozen towns in Essex, where more than 1m county council votes are up for grabs. Barring breakthroughs in Wales and Scotland, going from having a single councillor here to taking power would be one of Reform’s biggest achievements in Thursday’s polls. Continue reading...