Campaign

• Il Primo Ministro è accusato di aver temporeggiato nel costringere le aziende tecnologiche a bloccare la trasmissione di foto di nudi sui telefoni dei bambini. • I sostenitori della sicurezza internet e dei diritti dei bambini affermano di essere frustrati da mesi per la mancanza di leadership di Keir Starmer nel bloccare le immagini di abuso infantile sui telefoni dei minori, parlando dopo che Jess Phillips si è dimessa dal governo, dichiarando di essere stanca di vedere "le opportunità di progresso bloccate e ritardate". • L'influente politica laburista era uno dei quattro ministri che si sono dimessi martedì, unendosi a oltre 80 parlamentari che hanno chiesto le dimissioni del primo ministro. Continua a leggere...

I leader non possono ignorare il sostegno alla risoluzione sulle riparazioni di questo novembre, afferma l'ex premier di St Vincent e Grenadine

Candidates from across the spectrum report abuse and harassment online and in person in lead-up to local and devolved electionsUK politics live – latest updatesCandidates and political parties have described a climate of abuse in this year’s local and devolved elections including death threats and intimidation while campaigning.Elections are taking place across councils in England and governments in Scotland and Wales on Thursday, with millions expected to vote. Continue reading...

Comments with optimistic tone went viral on social media, with some calling it an unofficial start of his 2028 campaignMarco Rubio, the top US diplomat, has stoked speculation about a potential run for president in 2028 by releasing a campaign-style video that articulates a hopeful vision of America.The minute-long vertical video features images of Rubio, Donald Trump, jets flying over the White House, Americans of different races, former US president Ronald Reagan, and the Stars and Stripes being hoisted against a blue sky. Continue reading...

Nobel laureate says he previously considered himself a supporter of Israel, but ‘the campaign of annihilation in Gaza has changed all that’Nobel laureate JM Coetzee has declined to attend an upcoming literature festival in Israel, writing a excoriating letter to organisers citing the country’s “genocidal campaign” in Gaza, stating: “It will take many years for Israel to clear its name”.The 86-year-old author, who was born in apartheid South Africa and lives in Australia, wrote to organisers of the Jerusalem international writers festival in November. 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...

French president pitches in for Nikol Pashinyan, who faces stiff challenge from pro-Russia parties in vote next monthEmmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country’s destiny lay with Europe.The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan displacing tens of thousands of Armenians. Continue reading...

Appeal launched to buy Nottinghamshire cottage, where tree was planted in 19th century, and turn it into heritage centreCampaigners have launched an appeal to try to save for the nation the mother tree of perhaps the most popular cooking apple in the world.The original bramley apple tree, which grows in the garden of a cottage in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, is for sale, with the cottage put on the market by its owners, Nottingham Trent University. Continue reading...

David Farley says net overseas migration of 306,000 ‘probably not’ too much despite party policy to cap migrants at 130,000 per yearFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBarnaby Joyce has blamed “the pressure of a campaign” for One Nation’s Farrer candidate contradicting party policy on immigration and appearing to endorse Labor’s current intake.The One Nation MP also claimed voters won’t worry about Gina Rinehart’s million-dollar donation of a private plane to Pauline Hanson’s party, claiming journalists were more interested than ordinary people in the lucrative gift from Rinehart’s company. Continue reading...

• Democratic Congressman Beto O’Rourke has announced he will seek sanctions against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over what he calls an “outright lie” in a campaign‑finance‑related statement. • The dispute centers on Paxton’s claims about O’Rourke’s campaign‑finance practices, which Paxton’s critics say distort evidence and mislead the public. • Ethics watchdogs say the complaint could prompt a formal review by the Texas State Bar or an ethics committee, though such actions rarely result in immediate discipline.

• The Justice Department announced an expanded criminal investigation into fundraising and expenditure patterns of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and related political action committees, focusing on compliance with federal campaign finance and foreign‑donor laws. • Investigators are examining at least a dozen large donations that may have been routed through shell corporate accounts or foreign‑linked entities, according to law‑enforcement officials briefed on the probe. • White House spokespeople framed the action as part of “routine post‑election review,” while Trump allies accuse the department of partisan bias and warn that any charges could ignite a political firestorm ahead of the 2026 midterms.

• Maine Governor Janet Mills announced on Thursday that she will withdraw her planned Senate bid, removing herself from the Democratic primary and effectively clearing the way for state Senator Ben Chipman to enter an open contest. • Mills cited family considerations and the toll of a high‑profile Senate race as key reasons, saying that Maine “needs steady leadership” in the governor’s office as she continues her second term. • Her exit reshapes the state’s political map, likely sparing Democrats from a bruising intra‑party primary in a state that has recently trended purple in national elections.

Electoral Commission is investigating claims money given to MP came from US businessman now convicted of wire fraudUK politics live – latest updatesLabour has called on Robert Jenrick to give up almost £40,000 donated to his campaign to be Conservative leader in 2024 following allegations that the sum came from an impermissible foreign donor now convicted of fraud.The party called for Jenrick to make a donation to charity after the Guardian revealed the Electoral Commission has been investigating claims that £37,500 out of £100,000 given to his campaign by a UK company Spott Fitness ultimately came from a company run by a US-based businessman, Gary Klopfenstein. Continue reading...

Robert Hayward predicts Reform will be big winner, taking seats from both Labour and the ConservativesGood morning. We are now into the final week of campaigning for the Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local elections. Keir Starmer had been planning a big speech today, but he, and other political leaders, are today focusing on their response to the Golders Green stabbing and the antisemitism threat facing Britain’s Jewish community – described as a “national security emergency” by Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent reviewer of terror legislation. Here is our overnight story. And here is our live blog by Taz Ali.Taz will be covering most of the political reaction to that story, and so that won’t be something I will be covering here. (And because criminal proceedings are active, comments relating to the attack won’t be allowed below the line, I’m afraid.) Continue reading...

Prime minister says the middle of a global fuel crisis is ‘the worst possible time to jeopardise’ Australia’s partnerships with Asian trading partnersThe prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed next month’s federal budget will not include a new tax on existing gas export contracts as he criticised the “populist” campaign calling for a levy on producers.As reported last week, Albanese was poised to reject pressure to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports amid concerns the intervention could alienate the same Asian trading partners Australia is relying on for supplies of diesel and petrol. Continue reading...

• Venezuelan security forces restricted opposition parties from entering their campaign headquarters on Monday, raising fresh concerns about democratic conduct ahead of this year's presidential elections. • The blockade prevented opposition candidates and staff from gathering electoral signatures and organizing voter outreach efforts, significantly hampering their campaign infrastructure. • International observers from the Organization of American States expressed alarm over the move, calling it a violation of political freedoms and warning it could undermine the legitimacy of upcoming elections.

Exclusive: Some donations to 2024 Tory leadership campaign allegedly originated from US businessman in breach of electoral rulesPolice are assessing evidence about donations to Robert Jenrick’s campaign to become Conservative leader in 2024 after a referral from the elections watchdog, the Guardian can reveal.The information was passed on by the Electoral Commission, which the Guardian understands has been investigating allegations that almost £40,000 of donations to Jenrick’s leadership campaign before he defected to Reform UK, were from a foreign source in breach of electoral rules. Continue reading...

Critics hit out at ‘dire’ situation in the country which has the strictest laws around abortion in western EuropeRights campaigners have affixed lockboxes containing abortion pills to sites across Malta, in a campaign designed to highlight the country’s near-total ban on abortion.The 15 black boxes aim to provide practical help to women grappling with the EU’s strictest abortion laws; anyone who is less than nine weeks pregnant and in need of an abortion is invited to send an email to obtain the location and codes to access the pills. Continue reading...

Military video shows boat moving swiftly in water before explosion leaves it in flamesThe US military said on Sunday three men were killed when it struck a boat it claimed was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.This latest strike – which follows dozens of similar attacks on alleged drug boats in recent months – brings the US campaign’s death toll to at least 185, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse. Continue reading...

Former Liberal party senator, who was elected to state upper house in March, says flights ‘worth every cent’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s South Australian leader has paid back Australia’s richest person for private flights he took while campaigning in the state’s recent election.Cory Bernardi confirmed on Saturday that he had reimbursed a “substantial” sum of money to Gina Rinehart’s company S Kidman & Co, to comply with new state laws that prohibit political parties and candidates from receiving electoral donations or gifts from individuals, businesses or unions. Continue reading...

• A multiyear international campaign is underway to repair damage to childhood immunization efforts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. • The initiative focuses on restoring vaccination rates that declined during the pandemic period across multiple countries. • Public health experts view this effort as critical to preventing resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases in vulnerable pediatric populations.

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200.HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between September 2002 and January 2011. Continue reading...

The campaign, fronted by a CGI squirrel, is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymiedNils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a hit too tame’City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing.The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor Rachel Reeves’ nationwide push to encourage more financial risk taking, amid fears risk-averse consumers are losing out and ultimately stymying UK growth. Continue reading...

Former MP Tom Hunt has been working for Pauline Hanson’s party in the seat of Farrer, where One Nation hopes for a game-changing breakthroughOne Nation has recruited a former UK Tory MP who is now a member of Nigel Farage’s populist right-wing party Reform to help its campaign in the upcoming Farrer byelection.Tom Hunt, the Conservative MP for the UK seat of Ipswich for five years until 2024, has been advising on the rightwing party’s social media strategy for the byelection after a stint in the South Australian state election. Continue reading...

Pillars at Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, and Thorny Gale, Cumbria, bookended the project that modernised mappingHeritage campaigners are bidding for listing status for two concrete pillars hailed as “modest obelisks of modernity in the countryside”.These functional 120cm (4ft) stone or concrete “trig points” formed part of a 6,500-strong network of surveying posts that were vital for the development of modern mapping. Continue reading...

Exclusive: John Sidoti wins cheers and applause at re-election fundraiser for his successorFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former New South Wales minister found by Icac to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct has been feted as one of the “esteemed luminaries of the Liberal party” at an election fundraiser headlined by the state opposition leader, Kellie Sloane.John Sidoti, a former Liberal minister and state member for Drummoyne who left the party in 2021 amid an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, attended a re-election campaign launch event last week for his successor as MP and former staffer, Stephanie Di Pasqua. Continue reading...

US president says he has ‘held back’ on firing the head of the Federal Reserve leading up to end of Powell’s term in MaySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump threatened to fire Jerome Powell if he stays on as US Federal Reserve chair past the end of his tenure and doubled down on a criminal investigation into renovations of the central bank’s headquarters.As the White House pushes Trump’s new nominee to take charge of the Fed, Kevin Warsh, Powell has a month left in the role. The possibility of Powell staying on as chair past 15 May, the official end of his term, has grown amid mounting scrutiny of Trump’s approach to the Fed in the Senate, which is required to approve Warsh’s nomination. Continue reading...

Octogenarian incumbent contrasts his health with challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who fainted during a TV debate The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is seeking to lunge and leg press his way to a historic fourth term, as the octogenarian politician uses a flurry of workout videos to convince voters he is fighting fit ahead of October’s crunch election.Lula looks set to face off against a senator almost half his age in what will be the leftist’s seventh presidential campaign since he first sought Brazil’s top job in 1989, when he was 44. Continue reading...