Watchdog

An internal watchdog will review the agency’s handling of records related to Jeffrey Epstein, including whether relevant documents were properly redactedSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA majority of Americans blame Donald Trump for surging gasoline prices, which is weighing on his Republican party ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.Some 77% of registered voters in the poll, which concluded early this week, said Trump bears at least a fair amount of responsibility for the recent rise in gas prices, which was sparked by his decision to launch a war on Iran along with US ally Israel.Our preliminary objective is to evaluate the DOJ’s processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act.Alleged victims of sexual abuse by Epstein have complained that DOJ repeatedly failed to redact photos and other details that could reveal their identities and did not make public all the information prosecutors have about Epstein associates who were allegedly aware of his crimes or conspired with him but were never charged.Lawmakers have made similar complaints and have said they suspect DOJ has not released some relevant documents.The Trump administration has moved to reclassify marijuana, more than four months after Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move it from schedule I to schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.Trump, apparently abandoning his attempt to frighten Iran’s leaders into negotiating by channeling Richard Nixon’s “madman” theory, ruled out the use of nuclear weapons in his conflict with Iran.Trump has decided to invite wanted war criminal Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in December at Trump’s Doral golf resort, the Washington Post reports.Trump confirmed that the government is considering a plan to bail out or ‘“just buy” Spirit Airlines, but confused Barack Obama with Joe Biden, and Jet Blue with People Express, which has been defunct since 1987.India’s foreign ministry denounced comments from the rightwing US commentator Michael Savage, posted on social media by Trump, which argued against awarding birthright citizenship to the US-born children of immigrants “from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet”. Continue reading...

Britain’s cybersecurity agency says companies must step up vigilance to prevent espionage attacksBusiness live – latest updatesBritish businesses are being urged to step up their vigilance against a China-linked hacking ploy that uses everyday devices for espionage.The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and agencies in nine other countries have warned of persistent attempts by Beijing-backed groups to hack equipment such as wifi routers to launch cyber-attacks. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report finds Natural England has created no new SSSIs, which protect areas from development, since 2023The government’s wildlife watchdog for England is failing to save nature because it has stopped giving protection to rare wildlife and habitats, according to a new report.No new sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been designated by Natural England since 2023. SSSIs are nationally or internationally important places for rare wildlife and habitats. Without the designation, endangered species can be at risk of being lost to development. Continue reading...

The trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the supermarket giant began in the federal court in Sydney on TuesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoolworths engaged in “marketing magic” to trick customers into thinking they were getting genuine discounts as part of the supermarket’s “Prices Dropped” promotion, the consumer regulator has told a court.The landmark trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Woolworths began in the federal court in Sydney on Tuesday, almost two months after hearings ended in its very similar case against Coles. Continue reading...

Vinegar, Tim Tams and baby rice are among the products to be scrutinised in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s caseGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe consumer watchdog is back in court and taking on Australia’s largest supermarket chain, alleging Woolworths deliberately misled shoppers with fake discounts.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) case against Woolworths begins in the federal court in Sydney on Tuesday, almost two months after hearings wrapped up in its very similar case against Coles. Continue reading...

Pyongyang making ‘very serious’ progress on producing weapons, with rapid rise in activity at main nuclear complexNorth Korea has made “very serious” progress in its ability to produce more nuclear weapons, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned, in another sign that the regime is seeking to use its nuclear arsenal to ensure its survival.North Korea is thought to have assembled about 50 nuclear warheads, although some experts are sceptical of its claims that it is able to miniaturise them so they can be attached to long-range ballistic missiles. Continue reading...

Independent Office for Police Conduct examines allegations that the race of victim’s’ families influenced conduct of officersThe police watchdog is investigating complaints made against 11 officers over their handling of an inquiry into a road crash that killed two schoolgirls.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that the officers, including a serving commander and a detective inspector, are being investigated over alleged gross misconduct. Continue reading...

Chief inspector for England and Wales says prison remains in ‘precarious state’ more than year after urgent notificationThe Prison Service has made “very little progress” in enforcing a formal demand to stop drones from delivering drugs into one of its worst performing jails, a watchdog has concluded.Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, said HMP Manchester remained in a “precarious state” after a failure to fix broken windows and install security to stop contraband being delivered to gangs. Continue reading...

Charlie Taylor, inspector of prisons for England and Wales, says dealers should be isolated and ‘assertively managed’Jailed criminals who are flooding prisons with drugs should be isolated like radical extremists and “assertively managed”, the England and Wales prisons watchdog has said.Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons, said major dealers were living “consequence-free” in jail when they should be separated from the majority of inmates, subjected to regular searches for phones, and punished and rewarded according to their behaviour. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds several clinics making potentially unlawful claims about benefits of unregulated therapiesWhat are peptides, are they safe and is there evidence to back up the hype?The medicines regulator is investigating whether UK clinics are breaking the law by making claims about the benefits of unregulated, experimental peptide therapies, the Guardian can reveal.Interest in experimental peptides has boomed in recent years. The substances are delivered by injection and are touted by sellers, influencers and even some medics as aiding everything from anti-ageing to recovery from injury. Continue reading...

Review finds no ‘meaningful impact’ five years after race action plan launched, amid calls for government to step inPromises by police chiefs to tackle racial bias failed owing to “a lack of clear national leadership”, an independent police report has found.The promises were made five years ago in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and led police bosses in England and Wales to launch a race action plan promising to tackle the “stigmatising and humiliating” experiences of Black people at the hands of officers. Continue reading...

HM chief inspector Andy Cooke says multi-agency approach is needed to cut poverty and increase opportunitiesThe best way to stop people becoming criminals is to reduce poverty, target prevention strategies at young people, and increase opportunity, his majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary has said.Sir Andy Cooke, who is preparing to leave his post and retire after 40 years in policing, told the Guardian that his decades of experience taught him that crime was a “symptom of deeper societal failures”. Continue reading...

Independent Office for Police Conduct examining how Hertfordshire police treated three women’s allegationsThe police watchdog is investigating a force’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against social media influencer and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was investigating Hertfordshire constabulary’s response to reports made by three women after their case was closed in 2019 following a four-year investigation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Error in second half of 2025 came after IRS saw over a quarter of its workforce reduced after huge cuts by DogeA technical glitch at the understaffed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is masking millions of dollars in campaign contributions to state-level election groups, including key governor and attorney general races, a campaign finance watchdog has told the Guardian.A total of $51m for the second half of 2025 remains unaccounted for due to this technical error, according to the Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a non-profit that tracks corporate spending. Continue reading...

IEA makes 10 recommendations to help households and businesses prepare for a drawn-out disruption to energy marketsThe world’s energy watchdog has advised governments to reduce highway speeds and encouraged workers to carpool or, ideally, work from home to combat soaring oil prices and impending fuel shortages caused by the Middle East conflict.It has also recommended countries consider limiting car access to designated zones in large cities, by giving vehicles with odd-numbered plates access on different weekdays to those with even-numbered plates.Work from home where possible to save petrol.Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10km/h to reduce fuel usage.Encourage public transport to reduce oil demand.Limit car access to roads in large cities through a number-plate rotation scheme.Increase car sharing.Encourage efficient driving for commercial vehicles through load optimisation and vehicle maintenance.Divert LPG use from transport to preserve it for essential needs like cooking.Avoid air travel where possible.Encourage electric cooking and other options to reduce reliance on LPG.Help industrial facilities switch between different petrochemical feedstocks to free up LPG. Continue reading...

Charity Commission appoints interim manager at William Blake House in Northamptonshire, under investigation after families raised alarmA charity watchdog has taken control of a learning disability care home in Northamptonshire that is under investigation after residents’ families raised concerns over its management, including payments of £1m to a trustee.The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to run William Blake House, which faces potential insolvency in three weeks’ time if it cannot head off a winding-up order brought by the tax authorities over £1.6m in unpaid tax bills. Continue reading...

• The Varieties of Democracy Institute at Sweden's Gothenburg University found that Trump's second term is characterized by swift concentration of executive power, suppression of dissent, and targeting of civil rights at a rate comparable to some coups d'état. • The Trump administration is flouting Congress and the judiciary, attacking courts while the Department of Homeland Security openly violates dozens of judicial orders, and has unilaterally reallocated federal funding including a $10 billion gift to the "Board of Peace" without congressional approval. • Republican-controlled Congress has "abdicated its constitutional role" by ceding legislative, fiscal, and oversight powers to the executive branch during 2025, while the administration undoes civil rights achievements and suppresses left-wing dissent.

Commonwealth ombudsman also finds Victoria and Queensland police not keeping adequate recordsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales police force is overusing intrusive technology to monitor the phones and computers of people suspected of committing less serious crime, the commonwealth ombudsman has found.The watchdog said Victoria and Queensland police were not keeping sufficient records to justify their use of the electronic surveillance powers, while NSW police “were unable to demonstrate” they were meeting the requirements of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979. Continue reading...