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• Rahil Prakash, a 21-year-old, admitted to running a website that published fake election polls to test how easily misinformation could penetrate the political ecosystem. • The fabricated data influenced several races, including the LA mayoral contest between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, and a Wisconsin governor's primary where candidate Francesca Hong was falsely reported to lead by over 20 percentage points. • The incident highlights a critical vulnerability in the political press, as some California media outlets picked up and shared the fake polls without verification.

Exclusive: Rahil Prakash tells the Guardian: ‘I wanted to see if fake polls could penetrate the ecosystem that easily’A 21-year-old recent college graduate was behind an anonymous website that put out widely shared fake election polling in Wisconsin, Nevada and California, the Guardian can reveal.The website, Median Strategies, abruptly shut down and withdrew its polling earlier this week following questions from a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. In an unsigned statement, it described a “short-term social experiment” to examine how fake polling “could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification”. Continue reading...

• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass recently promoted fake polling data on social media, claiming it showed her reelection campaign was gaining momentum. • The fraudulent data was published by Median Strategies, a mysterious organization that released fake polls across three states before shutting down its website this week. • The company admitted to the Los Angeles Times that the results were fabricated as a "social experiment" to test how unverified political information spreads through the ecosystem.

• A mysterious political firm named Median Strategies admitted to fabricating multiple election poll numbers earlier this month. • The company has since retracted the fraudulent data, which was designed to mimic legitimate election polling. • The Associated Press confirmed that none of these fake results were used in their reporting or coverage.

Poll finds consensus on what makes people proud to be British but deep divisions on issues such as immigrationYou may think it’s a commitment to buying a round, the ability to chat at length about the weather, or making a proper cup of tea. But when it comes down to what makes people proud to be British, there is a consensus across all ages, demographics and political groups – and tea, pints and the weather don’t get a look-in.Hard work, fair play and community are the values that voters – no matter which political party, age group, social class or region they come from – instinctively believe capture what it means to be British, according to a large-scale study of British values by Public First. Continue reading...

Documents published on US embassy’s website prompt claims of attempt to export Maga propaganda to UKThe US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of fostering a “national conversation” about “shared civilizational values” underpinning US-UK ties. Priority will go to applicants aiming to celebrate “freedom of speech” and “limited government”. Continue reading...

The creator documented her battle with rare bile duct cancer, inspiring more than a million followers onlineSydney Towle, a TikTok creator who shared her battle with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, with over a million online followers, has died at age 26, her family announced on Thursday.Towle gained fame for her posts about her life as a spirited young woman that encouraged her TikTok followers to rethink how a cancer patient might look and live. Continue reading...

• The European Commission has offered Morocco increased support to manage the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, emphasizing that border security is a "shared European responsibility." • EU interior ministers are scheduled to meet this Tuesday to discuss coordinated actions and security measures to address the migration crisis. • The situation has caused internal friction, with ministers from Italy, Denmark, and Finland suggesting that Spain be suspended from the Schengen free-travel area.

• Developing nations are facing significant security risks due to an over-reliance on Western commercial satellite providers for critical space architecture. • During a conflict in the Persian Gulf in March, U.S.-based satellite imagery providers reportedly placed several international clients in precarious positions. • This vulnerability highlights the urgent need for the Global South to establish its own sovereign public network to ensure long-term security and independence.

• A London-based research group has proposed a shared control pact among Gulf states for the Strait of Hormuz, modeled after a defunct European coal and steel agreement. • The proposal aims to resolve an acrimonious dispute over the waterway, which serves as a critical chokehold for one-fifth of the global oil supply. • Tensions have escalated into open conflict, with shipping traffic plummeting following renewed Iranian strikes on commercial vessels.

• The article highlights a critical "governance gap" where collective international action on food security, water scarcity, and climate finance lags behind scientific consensus. • It identifies four primary governance deficits—lack of cooperation, inequitable financing, poor technology transfer, and ineffective implementation—that are further exacerbated by rising geopolitical tensions. • This gap matters because climate security is indivisible, meaning failure to coordinate globally threatens development prospects across all regions.

Ukraine and nine other countries including UK issue joint statement as leaders meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in ParisUkraine and nine other countries including the UK, Germany and France are to build a shared protection programme for Europe against ballistic missiles, using Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years.“Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe,” the 10 nations said in a statement on Monday as leaders met the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for talks in Paris. Continue reading...

NSW transport minister says growth in shared schemes is a positive development but pedestrians are ‘crying out for order’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastShared ebikes cluttering Sydney footpaths will be kicked to the kerb in the coming months under funding to establish marked parking bays, the New South Wales government says.On Tuesday, the state government announced $6.6m in funding for Sydney local councils to nominate and paint dedicated parking areas. Each council will be given up to $200,000. Continue reading...

French president welcomes group’s unity after ‘very deep change’ in Washington’s approach Emmanuel Macron has said the whole of the G7, including the US, recognises “the territorial integrity of Ukraine” as he hailed a “re-synchronisation” of positions on the issue.The French president welcomed a “very deep change in the US approach”, saying Donald Trump and all the leaders present at the G7 summit at Évian-les-Bains understood that Vladimir Putin was not interested in peace. Continue reading...

Modernisation bill would require GPs and hospitals in England to share data, reducing errors and duplicationSharing access to patients’ health data across NHS providers in England could result in 20,000 fewer A&E visits a year and save £20m annually, the government has claimed, before the second reading of the NHS modernisation bill on Monday.The bill, which would also abolish NHS England, sets out measures including single patient records (SPR) for every person receiving health and social care in England, requiring GPs and hospitals to securely share data as part of the government’s 10-year health plan. Continue reading...

Strict protocols violated by corrections staff who wrongly believed sexual assault cases were ‘closed’, ombudsman findsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMen charged with alleged prison rapes were allowed to stay in shared cells – against strict protocols – by Queensland corrections staff who mistakenly believed their cases were “closed” and that they posed no risk, a report by the state’s ombudsman has found.The ombudsman’s inspection report of the Brisbane correctional centre raises a number of concerns about the facility, including extensive overcrowding, health facilities that are not fit for purpose and complaints that chicken served to detainees and staff is often undercooked. Continue reading...

E H Shepard drawings go on display for book’s centenary, showing how he brought AA Milne’s character to lifePreviously unseen drawings of Winnie-the-Pooh that show the honey-loving bear before he was introduced to generations of readers in the 1926 book have come to light.Two preliminary pencil sketches by E H Shepard have been shared for the first time by his family to mark the centenary of one of the most loved books in children’s literature. Continue reading...

Food delivery services say the proposed laws will affect their workers, while shared e-vehicle schemes claim the laws could make them uninsurableFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLegislation that would crack down on ebikes and e-scooters in Queensland could curtail food delivery services and potentially end shared e-vehicle schemes, industry figures warn.The proposed laws would set an age limit of 16 on ebikes and e-scooters, require users to obtain a driver’s licence, and set a limit of 10km/h on almost all cycle lanes. Continue reading...