Mubeen Blogs

One new theory has been added to the mix about why many – but not all – humans lock lips in love We do it sitting in a tree, under the mistletoe, at midnight to ring in the new year. In fairytales, the act transforms frogs into princes and awakens heroines from enchanted slumber. We make up with it, seal with it, and – in Romeo Montague’s case at least – die with it. Such is the supremacy of the kiss in our culture that we’ve extended the term to describe actions that don’t even involve lip contact – butterfly kisses, say, or the “Eskimo kiss”, a nose rub better known in Inuit culture as kunik , and in Māori as hongi . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NlhUef1

The LGBTQ+ community has been here before – and learned that real change happens when activists are front and center The ascendency of Donald Trump to his second presidency is fraught with anxiety and fear for many Americans, particularly gay Americans. Books with queer themes are already being removed from school and public libraries. Trans people are being denied the right to use bathrooms or be on sports teams that align with their gender. Trans medical care is under attack in many states. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that may help LGBTQ+ people as well as others are being eliminated. Justice Clarence Thomas has broached “revisiting” the supreme court decisions that legalized same-sex marriage. Many queer activists – panicked, tenacious, resolute – are asking what we can do in the face of these attacks that seek to dismantle basic rights and access that were presumed permanent. The enormity and consequentiality of this battle feels like being swept heedlessly int...

About 200 passengers, mostly women, were on vessel that sunk in Niger River At least 27 people have died and more than 100 are missing after a boat capsized in northern Nigeria, authorities have said. About 200 passengers were on the boat that was going from the state of Kogi to neighbouring state of Niger when it capsized on the Niger River, the Niger state emergency management agency spokesperson, Ibrahim Audu, told the Associated Press. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/8sjf9Fk

He replaces Steve Cooper on deal to 2027 with club 16th First game will be on Tuesday not Brentford on Saturday Ruud van Nistelrooy has been confirmed as the manager of Leicester on a contract to June 2027, less than three weeks after he left Manchester United , but will not take charge of Saturday’s game at Brentford. Van Nistelrooy will be in the stands there and the first-team coach, Ben Dawson, will be in the dugout, supported by the coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes. Van Nistelrooy will be presented by Leicester on Monday and his first game will be at home to West Ham on Tuesday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7KhTUN8

Strategists realise supporters will soon expect to see the change they voted for During a tetchy exchange at prime minister’s questions this week, Keir Starmer was challenged by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, over a petition signed by more than 2.8 million people calling for him to resign. “She talks about a petition – we had a massive petition on 4 July in this country,” he said in response. But most in Downing Street will acknowledge that, less than five months since Labour’s election landslide, the party has had a bumpier start than it had hoped. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BC2gVwS

It is due to the courage of victims that we are learning why these undercover officers behaved as they did Even for those familiar with parts of the stories about women who were deceived into intimate relationships  with undercover police officers, the evidence that has emerged in recent weeks has been shocking. The litany of destructive behaviour either carried out by, or caused by, officers deployed to spy on campaigners, who were mostly active in leftwing causes, is being laid bare as never before: self-harm, heroin use, unprotected sex leading to emergency contraception, coercive control and the sudden abandonment of female partners and children. On Tuesday, Belinda Harvey told the public inquiry how she was manipulated by Bob Lambert, who tricked at least three other women into relationships as well. The son he had with one of them, and abandoned as a toddler, did not learn the truth for decades. The Metropolitan police has since paid the son a...

Peace is shaky at best, as Israel will still strike targets in Lebanon and a power transition looms in the US The Biden administration has claimed the long-awaited ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a diplomatic triumph achieved under tremendous pressure during a lame-duck period with a hostile Donald Trump administration waiting in the wings. Speaking from a lectern in the Rose Garden of the White House, Joe Biden called the result “historic” and said that it “reminds us that peace is possible”. It would return civilians to their homes, he said, and had “determined this conflict will not be just another cycle of violence”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Dj3XqzB

The environmental harm caused by this shapeshifting, underregulated industry must be tackled Local pushback against cruise ships in the world’s top tourist destinations is nothing new. More than three years ago, these vast vessels were barred from Venice’s lagoon on grounds of the risk they posed to the city’s historic buildings. This summer, cruise ships in Amsterdam and Barcelona were targeted by protesters, on grounds of chemical pollution but also as part of a wider movement against overtourism (as the negative impacts of huge influxes of visitors have become known). But – as revealed this week in a series of Guardian articles, The real cost of cruises – the environmental and social impact of this fast-growing industry goes way beyond individual cities, and requires action on a global scale. The carbon emissions of a cruise are roughly double that of the equivalent flights plus a hotel stay. The industry is also responsible for a vast quantity of waste discharged directly into...

A harrowing docuseries looks back at the deadly Boxing Day tsunami that killed over 225,000, speaking to survivors On Christmas day, 2004, Chris Xaver arrived in Phuket, a popular tourist destination on the south-west coast of Thailand, for a brief holiday. It was already dark by the time she and her then husband, Scott, got to the hotel; she couldn’t see the ocean, but could smell the saltwater of a beach vacation. The next morning, she had just stepped out of the shower when water started flooding their sea-level bungalow. Thinking the water main had broken, they called the front desk. No answer. Outside the bungalow, they saw the remnants of what they assumed was a rogue wave. “The lexicon, the word tsunami, was not in our brain,” Xaver recalled. Twenty years on, she remembers standing in an open-air beach restaurant, about 40ft behind Scott, watching another wave approach. A journalist by training, she pulled out her camera to record it. Through the lens, she saw the wave scoop u...

Some who live close to the border with Lebanon believe a deal would allow them to raise their children in safety, but others say communities are split There is a crack, a boom and a siren, all more or less simultaneously. Sergio Helman has not quite reached the concrete shelter a dozen metres away from his hummus restaurant, off highway 99, which marks the northernmost limit of the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. The 60-year-old shrugs and explains that Hezbollah fires the rockets from so close that Israeli air defence systems can give only 15 seconds warning at best. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LqtdZIr

Years of ugly attacks on benefit claimants mean Liz Kendall treads a delicate line as she sets out to boost employment That one in eight young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training is a dismal statistic. Nearly a decade after the school-leaving age was raised to 18 in England (in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it remains 16), and 25 years after Tony Blair aimed to have 50% of young people in higher education, Britain under the Tories went backwards. The problem of a shrinking workforce, and the rising benefits bill it entails, is not limited to young adults. The UK’s lack of a post-pandemic bounceback in employment is a concern in other age groups, particularly the over-50s. But the government is right to be alarmed by the phenomenon of young people emerging from 14 years of schooling unable to work or undertake training. Unemployment and long-term illness are not a great start to anyone’s adult life. Continue reading... from The Guardian https...

Comments part of debate over whether Beijing backs Kim Jong-un’s decision to send troops to fight in Ukraine China is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea’s engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said. He was leaning into a growing debate among the US’s security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. It is said the North Korean troops are now inside Russia. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MwE4qbn

It was plainly too good to be true. Or to last. There were 82 seconds on the stadium clock when the Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United was jump-started. The new manager had put his faith in Marcus Rashford in the No 9 role and it was United’s great enigma who scored to put them in charge. Rashford charged about in the early running, a point to prove. And yet it was the prompt for a slow retreat by United for the remainder of the first half. The structure was different, United set up in Amorim’s trademark 3-4-2-1, but the players were the same, along with plenty of the frustrations from Erik ten Hag’s tenure. It is not Amorim’s fault. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/t2cTyue

To be crowned the world’s best at something – from lowest roller skate limbo to longest under-ice free dive – is a huge achievement. What happens next? Some people train their whole lives to earn a Guinness World Record. For others, picking one up is a happy accident. After all, the more than 40,000 records currently maintained by Guinness run the gauntlet from fastest marathon (an impressive 1hr 59min) to the largest number of hotdogs eaten in one minute (six, including the bun). So what motivates someone to pursue a world record – and what happens to your life after you get one? To find out, we spoke to five record holders, past and present. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OiP91wM

It looks, smells and tastes like regular alcohol – so how can we protect ourselves after several people died after likely consuming methanol in Laos this week? Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The risks of methanol poisoning are in sharp focus this week after the tragic deaths of several young people in Laos, including Melbourne teens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones . According to Doctors Without Borders, thousands of people are poisoned by methanol every year , with outbreaks killing 20% to 40% of victims. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4b7D1IU

The G20? Cop29? Totally pointless, said the Tory leader. World leaders getting up themselves and a load of virtue-signalling It had been shaping up to be another sleepy Thursday in Westminster. A day when hostilities were put on hold after the exertions earlier in the week. A time for MPs to be a little more playful with one another. To even, occasionally, agree with one another. And that’s very much how proceedings began. First, there were outpourings of sympathy from members of all parties for the family of John Prescott , who had died the day before. Tributes for a life well lived. Then the main business: a statement from Keir Starmer on Cop29 and the G20 . Taking the Lead by John Crace is published by Little, Brown (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KWDgR42

Land commissioner says state is ready to allow facility for ‘processing, detention and coordination’ of deportation The state of Texas has offered thousands of acres of land to Donald Trump “to construct deportation facilities”. Texas land commissioner Dawn Buckingham wrote in a letter to Trump that his “office is fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the US border patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pDFEgZP

The Republicans were always the party of big business, but Mr Trump is turning them into a playpen for oligarchs One person turns up surprisingly often at Donald Trump’s side. Not his No 2, JD Vance, nor his wife, Melania, but another man a quarter-century younger and about $300bn heavier: Elon Musk. The two hunkered down in Mar-a-Lago on the night of the election, celebrating the results. This week they were in Texas, watching Mr Musk’s staff test-launch a spacecraft. During the campaign, Mr Musk personally chipped in $130m , made speeches at rallies and organised campaigns to “get out the vote”. Last week, the world’s richest man was picked by the president-elect to run a new “department of government efficiency”. So close are the pair that Mr Musk dubs himself “First Buddy”. American politics has always been coiled around money, tight as a vine around a trunk. Nearly 25 years ago, George W Bush joked at a swanky white-tie dinner : “Some people call you the elites; I call you m...

Tax rises were needed, but Labour must not dismiss the difficulties faced by farming families No tax change is perfect. Systems can never be customised to take in every set of circumstances. There are always edge cases – people who are outliers in the groups that new measures are aimed at. Several hundred farming families seem likely to fall into this category, following the changes to inheritance tax in Rachel Reeves’s budget that have prompted this week’s angry protests. Those whose incomes will make it difficult for them to pay the new 20% rate on agricultural property above a £1m threshold may need to sell land, or adapt their businesses in other ways. Given that farms were previously exempt, it is not surprising that this has caused upset. Very few people want to pay more tax – especially on family-owned assets to which they are attached. There is a reasonable argument that more notice should have been given of the government’s plans, which were not in its manifes...

The pope’s call to investigate war crimes in Gaza highlights rising global scrutiny. But accountability remains elusive As an Israeli airstrike killed at least 30 people in a northern Gaza residential block, Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether genocide is being carried out under the cover of war. The staggering death toll in Gaza – an estimated 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children – underscores the urgency of his call for accountability. While the pope has criticised Israel’s war before, this marks his first public call for a deeper investigation of the conflict ignited by Hamas’s 7 October attack last year that killed 1,200 people. Legal scrutiny of the conflict requires access to Gaza, which has been sealed off for 13 months in defiance of the the international court of justice’s calls to permit entry to investigate a “ plausible genocide ”. The pope did not give a definitive judgment on whether the situation legally qualifies as the “ crime of crimes...

Updates from St Lucia; match starts at 8pm GMT Live scorecard will appear here | Email Tim Jos Buttler calls right – and goes with the flow of this series. Every game has been won by the side batting second. Evening everyone and welcome to the fifth act of another sporting drama. Some might say it was a dead rubber, but they would be missing the point. In a sport that loves its records the way cricket does, rubbers never die. Any of the 22 players could post a career-best tonight, score a hundred, grab a four-for or do something that hasn’t been done before in nearly 20 years of T20 internationals. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/p4eH8oF

England coach does not believe he will be sacked Freddie Stewart says players should shoulder blame Steve Borthwick has claimed his England players were not fit enough for Test rugby when they began their autumn internationals after Saturday’s defeat by South Africa extended their dismal losing run. In what could be construed as a tacit admission that Aled Walters’ departure has been keenly felt, Borthwick has risked the ire of Premiership clubs by stating that his players’ “condition” was not “where it needed to be” at the start of the month. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PbZ9wem

Late drama and justice featured in a breathless finish to this ­riveting encounter. When Neco Williams challenged Yunus Akgun and Connor Roberts tackled Kerem Akturkoglu in the Wales area, each seemed clean yet the referee, Juan Martínez Munuera, awarded a penalty. It was unclear for which ­player’s (apparent) misdemeanour and the VAR did not intervene but when Akturkoglu stepped up his spot-kick shaved Karl Darlow’s left post and missed, which felt fair. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4jK6Ehe

Royal Court, Liverpool Wolf-like property developers are set to evict the grandmother, who is on a night of drug-fuelled abandon, in this enjoyable show This is Liverpool, so the most frightening set of teeth are those of Cilla Black. Every time the baddies look at them we hear a round of Anyone Who Had a Heart. Laced with poison, they could be fatal. Did I say Liverpool? I should have said Lidlpool, a city where the middle aisle can save the day and where, in Kevin Fearon’s raucous script, the threat to Grandma comes from two metaphorical wolves. The old woman’s cottage is the only thing standing in the way of a multistorey car park. The lupine property developers, Cash and Carry (Andrew Schofield and Keddy Sutton), will stop at nothing – even Cilla’s teeth – to get her evicted. At the Royal Court, Liverpool , until 18 January Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/43q2IGz

Carl Alesbrook, now 19, unanimously convicted of murder over death of four-month-old Elijah Shemwell A teenager who shook his girlfriend’s baby to death has been jailed for life. Carl Alesbrook, who is now 19, was unanimously convicted of murder after breaking the ribs of four-month-old Elijah Shemwell and causing him “catastrophic” brain injuries when he was left alone with the infant as a 16-year-old in January 2022. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wusdW6g

Arcola theatre, London Four interwoven stories set in 2043 explore love, connection and AI. Their ideas are beautifully written but dramatically truncated The year is 2043 and the world’s data has been so comprehensively harvested that a dating app promises subscribers a perfect match with every compatible partner on the planet. As the advert tells us: “Love is simply an algorithm.” That is, unless you are deemed “undesirable” by the algorithm. This near future has intimations of the Orwellian, including mandated adverts spewing out on screen to its citizens and artificial intelligence giving lessons on humanness. At the Arcola theatre, London , until 30 November Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/CjG8eb7

After stunning collapse in profits, chief executive aims to ‘course correct’ and ‘celebrate heritage’ The prize for the most hubristic share buyback of recent years goes to Burberry. Only 12 months ago the fashion group was boasting about how it had just completed a £400m buyback , its second of that size in two years. Now, after a stunning collapse in profits , the company can’t even afford to give its shareholders a dividend and the (inevitably) new chief executive is talking about the need to “course correct” and stabilise the business “with urgency”. That 2023 buyback saw stock bought around the £20 level. Price now: 868p. What a waste of shareholders’ funds. The better news is that 868p was a 19% gain on the day because the new course, described on Thursday by Joshua Schulman, the new man from Coach, read as realistic after predecessor Jonathan Akeroyd’s failed attempt to push the brand relentlessly upmarket. Akeroyd was searching for fatter profit margins but delivered profit w...

The health secretary is right to link investment to accountability, but he must be wary of creating perverse incentives For any government contemplating NHS reform, the 2012 Health and Social Care Act is a textbook case of what not to do. Despite promises of “no more pointless reorganisations”, the Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley did just that, abolishing management tiers and imposing new care commissioning and competition systems on reluctant doctors. The whole thing was a political nightmare that wasted resources, demoralised staff and undermined public confidence. In an independent report published earlier this year, Lord Darzi described the Lansley method as “ scorched earth ”, from which NHS management capacity has not yet fully recovered. And that was before the full social cost of austerity had weighed on the health service, and before it had been battered by the Covid pandemic. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit...

Company seeking to shut or refranchise most of its crown post offices and cut up to 1,000 head office positions The Post Office is expected to announce the closure of dozens of branches and cut up to 1,000 head office jobs as it seeks to reduce costs to secure its financial future. There are about 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK, of which 115 are wholly centrally owned. The rest are operated by independent post office operators under contract and partners such as WH Smith and Tesco. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/IhDwWbv

Profits beat forecasts, but a 17% fall in share price since executives were detained by Beijing may be hard to shake In the world of two weeks ago, AstraZeneca’s share price would have probably enjoyed a strong day on the release of Tuesday’s third-quarter numbers. The profit figure beat forecasts and the UK pharmaceutical company raised its guidance for growth in full-year revenues and earnings from “mid-teens” to “high teens”. Meanwhile, Pascal Soriot, the chief executive, unveiled a $3.5bn (£2.7bn) investment programme in the US and talked bullishly about prospects in AstraZeneca’s biggest market. It all sounded like another confident step in the march to take global revenues from $46bn in 2023 to $80bn by 2030. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Q6bm8h7

Far-right government angrily condemns ruling that seven men detained in Albania must be transferred to Italy Italian judges have ordered seven men detained in a migration hub in Albania to be transferred to Italy, in another blow to a controversial deal between the far-right Rome government and Tirana aimed at curbing the arrival of asylum seekers. The men arrived at the Albanian port of Shëngjin aboard a military vessel on Saturday after being rescued in international waters while trying to make their way to Europe. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Eq6LDix

Allegations against Karim Khan to be examined by outside body ‘to ensure fully independent, impartial and fair process’ The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court will face an external investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, the court’s governing body has said. In a statement, the president of the body that oversees the ICC said the inquiry would examine the allegations against Karim Khan, which related to his alleged conduct towards a woman who worked for him. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Se9gx5w

Artist rose to prominence for his Ku Klux Klan painting and now his provocative, powerful work is on exhibition In 2015, artist Vincent Valdez released his imposingly large painting The City I. The controversy that swiftly ignited upon its release had long been brewing even as Valdez was painting it. The 30-ft black and white work shows over a dozen hooded Klansmen gathering rather portentously in the middle of the night. The painting, which many initially critiqued for unnecessarily referencing a long-past chapter in American race relations, quickly showed its relevancy – as it was arriving into the world, Klansman David Duke himself gave then candidate Donald Trump a presidential endorsement, and the four years of the first Trump presidency would embolden exactly the racial animus that Valdez had portrayed. Now, the first major museum survey of Valdez’s prodigious output is released on the eve of a second Trump presidency, when signs of the racism this second term is likely to un...

Where others began by expressing regret over the Horizon scandal, Kemi said nothing. Because she feels nothing Look on the bright side. Kemi Badenoch lasted two and a half hours in the witness stand at the Post Office inquiry without losing it. She didn’t get into an argument with Jason Beer, the counsel for the crown, though that could be because his questions were not unduly threatening. After all, we were there to hear Kemi’s version of events . Other versions of the truth may be available. Nor did she square up to any of those in the public gallery who laughed when Beer thanked her for answering “some” of his questions. Not that Kemi nailed it. Like many narcissists, she is a curious mixture of the thick- and thin-skinned. She likes to present herself as a no-nonsense, tough woman. Someone who isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with her opponents. Who can tell it like it is. But beneath the surface there’s a vulnerability that she despises. It’s why she lashes out so readily. The pers...

There were people on the pitch, Chelsea substitutes to be precise, the joy of everyone connected to the club overflowing. Pedro Neto had produced the equaliser with a vicious low drive from distance and if it did not turn out to be the statement victory that Enzo Maresca and his players wanted – the first against a so-called Big Six rival – they could see the merit in a battling draw. For Arsenal, this was a better performance than some of those of late and yet it was not the result that Mikel Arteta had called for, the one to silence the noise that has built around his club. It was another example of them losing the lead in a big game – following the draws against Manchester City and Liverpool – and it meant they have not won in four Premier League games, a sequence that has yielded two points. They are now nine behind the leaders, Liverpool. Is it too much to recover? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TkHRmf7

Updates from the 8pm GMT start in Bridgetown Get in touch! Share your thoughts with James They called Leonard Cohen ‘The Godfather of Gloom’ and ‘The High Priest of Pathos’. Pithy nicknames but both misnomers, really. Behind the molasses and tobacco baritone and faltering flamenco Cohen was far from a miserabilist, his words often appearing as if drenched in the Hydra sun - warm, fruity, smutty, sensual. This is about cricket you plank, what are you crapping on about? Well, bear with me for just a line or two more. I’m bringing us on to Jos Buttler. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rRVd5Ta

Campaign raises £5m in just a few weeks as community, local businesses and celebrities rally round A Liverpool baby hospice has been saved after the city helped raise vital funds for a new home. Zoe’s Place , a charity that cares for children with life-limiting conditions from birth to the age of five, was founded in Liverpool in 1995 by Prof Jack Scarisbrick. The name was chosen because Zoe means “gift of life” in Greek. The charity needed to raise £5m in a matter of weeks to find a new building to call home, while an extra £1.4m was needed to help the hospice stay open in the meantime. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MDel1YS

The gender gap among young people was predictably vast. But the numbers still defied expectations, as the political scientist Melissa Deckman explains A masculinity researcher on the Democrats’ ‘fatal miscalculation’ Long before voting closed in the 2024 elections, pundits predicted that young Americans would be riven by a canyon-wide gender gap. Those predictions turned out to be correct. As a whole, Kamala Harris won voters between the ages of 18 and 29 by six points. But preliminary exit polling indicates that Donald Trump opened up a 16-point gender gap between young men and young women: 56% of men between the ages of 18 and 29 voted for Trump while just 40% of their female peers did so. Election deniers use Trump victory to sow more doubt over 2020 result What a second Trump presidency means for big US tech firms Who could be in Trump’s new administration Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dU8v4mZ

Damian Homer stabbed Wendy Francis, 61, twice in the chest after she tried to help her daughter during the attack A lorry driver and ex-DJ who stabbed his partner’s mother to death in a drunken attack after she tried to help her daughter has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years. Damian Homer, 51, also stabbed his partner, Stacey Hill, 38, who tried to shield her mother, Wendy Francis, from the kitchen knife he wielded after an argument. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Q0Xuapv

Despite initial excitement after becoming the first Black leader of any British political party, a cooling to Badenoch’s ascent is on the horizon • Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. I am writing to you fully refreshed following a whole two hours’ sleep after watching the US election. This week, as one Black woman’s electoral fortunes collapse in the United States, a Black woman in the UK, Kemi Badenoch, has made a breakthrough. I spoke to Eromo Egbejule, our west Africa correspondent, about how her election was received in Nigeria, and how Black representation in politics is often a more complicated story than it looks. But first, here’s the weekly roundup. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xJ34XA9

How else to explain Honest Bob Jenrick winding up as shadow justice secretary? Spare a thought for the losers. Not those like James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Steve Barclay. Or Jeremy Hunt and Oliver Dowden, who politely declined all offers to serve in the shadow cabinet. They had their self-worth to consider. Hard to believe, but true nonetheless. Instead, consider those who desired high office – if that isn’t an oxymoron for the shadow cabinet. Take Suella Braverman and Esther McVey. Gutted to have been overlooked. Their credentials impeccable. Both with an unblemished track record of insanity and incompetence. How much more useless did they have to be for Kemi Badenoch to give them the nod? Imagine the insult. Thought to be less hopeless than Priti Patel or Chris Philp. You’re never going to recover from that. Just left to wander the backbenches. Taking the Lead by John Crace is published by Little, Brown (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbo...

RFK Jr, an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, says Trump promised him control over public health policy if he wins US elections 2024 – live updates Donald Trump has suggested vaccines could be banned if he becomes president, in the clearest sign yet of a radical shake-up in public health policy should he put his ally Robert F Kennedy Jr in charge of it. Trump on Sunday told NBC that Kennedy, the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and former independent candidate who dropped out and endorsed Trump, would have a “big role in the administration” if wins Tuesday’s presidential election. Trump said he would talk to Kennedy about vaccinations. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TkEVAjK

Jostling for position before eventual debt-for-equity swap gives opportunity to fight for £3bn lifeline with least worst terms Roll up, roll up, who wants to lend £3bn to Thames Water, a company already drowning in debt? It turns out a lot of people do. Two rival groups of existing creditors – one representing the A class of bondholders, the other the junior Bs – have tabled proposals to provide the company with a “liquidity runway”, meaning emergency cash to get it through the next year or so. At some point in that period, it is hoped, Thames would set about the more fundamental task of imposing losses on those same debtholders to clear the decks for new shareholders to inject capital. None of this is straightforward and some of today’s bondholders will probably also be tomorrow’s shareholders, assuming a debt-for-equity swap is possible. And “runway” is probably the wrong metaphor. We’re really talking about a sticking plaster before the main surgery on the balance sheet can begin....

The national treasure is back with a witty, warm televisual wonder, this time exploring the most populous and stunningly biodiverse continent. But where is the urgency about the climate crisis? The clocks change, the nights draw in, and along comes David Attenborough to ease those autumnal blues. Right on cue, he is here, narrating another magnificent series about weird and wonderful nature that allows him to say delicious, fantastical phrases such as “a special set of grasping belly fins”. The continent of Asia covers almost a third of the planet’s land area, and encompasses desert, forest, mountains and frozen wilderness. It is also the most populous continent, forcing humans and animals to coexist “in the most remarkable ways”. In short, it’s a place full of the kind of stories on which nature documentaries thrive, covering all sorts of terrain and ecosystems, and this first episode is an excuse to explore a massive swathe of water, with its 21 oceans and seas. As ever, this is a ...

They came more in expectation than hope: a modern-day record 3,110 of them crammed into the Sussex Transport Community Stadium like the mackerels that adorn Worthing’s badge. Some mooted Cup upsets are born of the heart, fuelled by an alluring backstory that taps into society’s natural inclination to cheer for underdogs that have overcome adversity to challenge those more distinguished. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/plFbdGP

Israeli student filed lawsuit after suspension for spraying pro-Palestimian protesters with foul-smelling substance Columbia University has reached a $395,000 settlement with a student who was suspended in January after spraying student protesters with a foul-smelling substance at one of several campus demonstrations in support of Palestine. The Israeli student who received the payout had been suspended until May. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bsdou2g

Russell Bruce Moncrief, 75, faces counts of human trafficking and racketeering over ‘sickening scheme’ A bail bondsman is facing criminal charges in Florida for allegedly approaching incarcerated women and offering to bond them out if they give him sex in return. Russell Bruce Moncrief faces counts of human trafficking and racketeering – along with accusations that he used his authority within the criminal justice system to prey on particularly vulnerable women, said a recent news release from the office of the state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/T9ZLyVH

Daniel Khalife, 23, says he absconded because he was ‘terrified’ of being locked up with dangerous offenders A former British soldier has told a jury he did not hand himself in after he escaped from prison because he was “finally demonstrating what a foolish idea it was” to imprison someone with his “skill set”. Daniel Khalife, 23, told the court he absconded from Wandsworth prison while on remand because he was “terrified” of being locked up with “serious sex offenders” and “terrorists” who wanted to kill him, and that he did not think his imprisonment would be in the public interest. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Fo97KzS