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The GuardianScandalIndia
‘I’m sorry but I’m unable to speak’: hero of India’s Cockroach party weakens on 19th day of hunger strike

‘I’m sorry but I’m unable to speak’: hero of India’s Cockroach party weakens on 19th day of hunger strike

The climate activist and engineer Sonam Wangchuk, who has become the figurehead of anti-government protests in Delhi, is resisting calls to end his fast until the education minister resignsAs night falls on day 18 of his hunger strike, the lack of any sustenance except water shows. It is 7pm and Sonam Wangchuk looks weak. A physiotherapist sits beside him on the stage massaging his arms to soothe his aching joints. Propped up against pillows and bolsters, Wangchuk whispers: “I’m sorry, but I’m unable to speak.”The activist and engineer has lost close to 9kg from a body that was spare and lean to begin with. Doctors say it is around this stage of a hunger strike that the body enters a state of severe starvation, breaking down fat and muscle, resulting in extreme weakness, impaired brain function and electrolyte imbalance.

17h ago
The TelegraphHumanityUSA
Mandatory Bible study in Texas ‘risks fuelling anti-Semitism’

Mandatory Bible study in Texas ‘risks fuelling anti-Semitism’

Mandatory Bible reading for Texas school students has split the state’s religious Right, with Jewish leaders warning the move risks fuelling anti-Semitism and eroding religious freedom. The Republican Texas state board of education voted to approve mandated Bible study in the school curriculum for more than five million students, with a spokesman declaring: “We’re going to stop watering down American history.

9h ago
The GuardianScandalEngland
British Steel is taken into public ownership to save UK supply

British Steel is taken into public ownership to save UK supply

Scunthorpe factory is expropriated from China’s Jingye and ministers will ask a valuer to assess compensationBritish Steel has formally been taken into public ownership 15 months after the government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs.Keir Starmer on Thursday said that it was in the national interest for the government to take over the factory from its Chinese owner, Jingye, in one of the last significant actions overseen by him as prime minister after the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act received Royal Assent on Wednesday.

1d ago
The GuardianScandalSouth West England
Inquest reopened into death of 14-year-old boy after ‘TikTok blackout challenge’

Inquest reopened into death of 14-year-old boy after ‘TikTok blackout challenge’

Landmark high court ruling calls for fresh inquiry into Jools Sweeney’s death to allow for previously omitted social media evidenceThe inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy, whose mother believes he died after a TikTok challenge gone wrong, is to be reopened in a landmark ruling by the high court.Jools Sweeney, a schoolboy from Gloucestershire, died in April 2022. His parents, Ellen Roome and Matt Sweeney, believed social media played a role in his death, pointing to the popularity of the “blackout challenge” online at the time.

1d ago
The GuardianClimateUnited Kingdom
Most UK media reports on June heatwave failed to mention climate crisis

Most UK media reports on June heatwave failed to mention climate crisis

Exclusive: Analysis of nearly 2,500 articles finds almost three-quarters made no reference to global heatingMost of the UK media stories about the failed to mention the climate crisis, analysis has found.Nearly 2,500 articles about the extreme heat – when temperatures topped 37C, a record for the time of year – appeared in the UK’s nine main national daily media publications. But nearly three-quarters of them – about 72% – left out any mention of global heating or the climate, according to the analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

3d ago
The GuardianHumanityAsia & Middle East
Philippines demands ‘racist’ Chinese state media video depicting Filipinos as monkeys be taken down

Philippines demands ‘racist’ Chinese state media video depicting Filipinos as monkeys be taken down

Philippine ​defence secretary denounces video referencing South China Sea dispute as a ‘disgrace’ to regional leadershipThe Philippines strongly condemned state-run China Daily for releasing an AI-generated video that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, saying ⁠the “racist” imagery is “offensive, distressing and unacceptable” and drawing a firm line against dehumanising propaganda.Manila demanded that the video posted on China Daily’s Facebook account on 10 ⁠July be ⁠taken down. The ​Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

15h ago
The TelegraphScandalEurope
Ukrainian spies tried to assassinate me, says tycoon injured in Monaco blast

Ukrainian spies tried to assassinate me, says tycoon injured in Monaco blast

A Ukrainian tycoon seriously injured in a bombing in Monaco has accused his own country’s military intelligence agency of coordinating the attack. Vadym Iermolaiev, a Dnipro-born businessman sanctioned by Kyiv, said there was “no doubt” that “serving officers of the main intelligence directorate of the military of defence of Ukraine”, known as the HUR, had been involved in the attempt on his life.

23h ago
The GuardianScandalChina
‘Even Politburo members can be touched’: what the latest purge says about Xi Jinping’s China

‘Even Politburo members can be touched’: what the latest purge says about Xi Jinping’s China

The ousting of Ma Xingrui – the third Politburo member in recent years - suggests Xi’s tolerance of dissent is diminishing, say analystsOn Tuesday, China expelled Ma Xingrui, one of the ruling party’s most senior officials, making him the third politburo member to be purged since 2022 as Xi Jinping .Ma, a former Communist party secretary for China’s north-western region of Xinjiang, was accused of corruption, abuse of power and trading political favours for sex. The announcement came after Ma was placed under investigation in April for suspected “serious violations of discipline and the law”.

18h ago
The GuardianMarketsUSA
Smart glasses are deeply creepy. Why are celebrities like Kylie Jenner endorsing them?

Smart glasses are deeply creepy. Why are celebrities like Kylie Jenner endorsing them?

Meta touts safety features – but for women, the dangers of these recording devices are obviousImagine if every time you left the house, you couldn’t be sure that the stranger you met at a bar – or even the person walking by you in the street – wasn’t secretly recording you. It sounds like something out of a episode, but let’s face it, the era of wearable technology is fully upon us as everyday accessories have been developed to help track health and fitness data, receive smartphone notifications, and provide hands-free accessibility.So when announced their a few years ago, it wasn’t too surprising that one of the biggest (and most embattled) tech companies on earth had begun cashing in on our obsession with watching others. And their AI glasses have already raised serious concerns over privacy, personal safety and even our sense of agency.

8h ago
The GuardianScandal
Concacaf whistleblower Mel Brennan: ‘Fifa survived Blatter and Warner. It will survive Infantino too’

Concacaf whistleblower Mel Brennan: ‘Fifa survived Blatter and Warner. It will survive Infantino too’

Ex-Concacaf executive Mel Brennan reflects on the Fifa corruption scandal, missed reforms and why football’s governance remains stubbornly opaqueMel Brennan has seen every level of world football. “I know what the World Cup looks like from the 17th floor of Trump Tower … I know what it looks like from a grass-strewn field in Trinidad where children cannot play because money that was supposed to maintain it went somewhere else entirely,” he says.Brennan worked as an executive at Concacaf during the corrupt reign of and the late general secretary Chuck Blazer, from Trump Tower.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

11h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
More than 200 countries endorse Infantino for fourth Fifa term despite Balogun scandal

More than 200 countries endorse Infantino for fourth Fifa term despite Balogun scandal

Only a handful of FAs have not declared their supportUefa has made its opposition clear on number of issuesGianni Infantino has the formal endorsement of more than 200 countries for re-election as Fifa’s president despite the climate of unrest that has swirled since the scandal surrounding from suspension.The Guardian understands only a handful of Fifa’s 211 member associations are still to send letters of support for Infantino, who is on course to be voted into a fourth term by a landslide at its congress in March. A small number of European countries are among the outliers, with Germany the highest-profile FA yet to provide official backing.

11h ago
The GuardianRelationshipsColombia
ICC staffer talks publicly about alleged sexual abuse by chief prosecutor Karim Khan

ICC staffer talks publicly about alleged sexual abuse by chief prosecutor Karim Khan

Female lawyer tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about alleged ‘escalation of attempts’ as second woman also speaks outTwo women who have accused the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, of sexual abuse have spoken out about their claims against the prominent British lawyer.In an with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, an ICC staffer identified by her first name, Sarah, spoke publicly for the first time about her allegations, which have over the past two years.

21h ago
The GuardianClimateUSA
Climate change driving more rains that lead to deadly flash floods, experts say

Climate change driving more rains that lead to deadly flash floods, experts say

Over the last month, states across the country have experienced record rainfall and flash floodingClimate change is driving increasingly common bouts of heavy rain in the US that cause deadly and damaging flash floods that will only become more frequent and intense as the crisis worsens, experts say.A year after deadly flooding in central Texas that swept through a children’s summer camp, the state and other parts of the United States are again experiencing unusually heavy rain. Over the last month, states like , , , and have all experienced record rainfall, causing flash flooding across the country.

10h ago
The GuardianSustainabilityNorth West England
‘Forever chemicals’ – the national cancer scandal brewing in a Lancashire town

‘Forever chemicals’ – the national cancer scandal brewing in a Lancashire town

In this week’s newsletter: residents living near a chemical factory are the latest community concerned about the health and environmental impact of Pfas contamination• Residents within a kilometre of the AGC Chemicals Europe factory in Thornton-Cleveleys in the north of England, have found themselves at the centre of what is quickly becoming a national scandal.In 2024, the UK Environment Agency and the local authority initiated an investigation into historic emissions of Pfoa – a carcinogenic “forever chemical” that international research to kidney cancer – from the factory. After environmental testing, people have been advised to wash and peel homegrown food and to avoid eating locally produced eggs, and two allotment sites near the factory have been closed.

14h ago
The GuardianSportsEngland
Thomas Tuchel accepts responsibility after substitutions backfire in England defeat

Thomas Tuchel accepts responsibility after substitutions backfire in England defeat

Head coach has no regrets but admits he will be judgedBellingham appears to strike Argentina’s Barco on headThomas Tuchel shouldered the blame for England becoming far too passive after taking the lead as with a dramatic late comeback.England were within minutes of a first men’s World Cup final on foreign soil after going ahead through Anthony Gordon early in the second half. But the reigning champions equalised through a piledriver from Enzo Fernández before the substitute Lautaro Martínez scored the decisive goal in the second minute of injury time to send Argentina through to Sunday’s final against Spain in New York.

1d ago
BBCWorld CupSub-Saharan Africa
WCA concerned about ODI World Cup format

WCA concerned about ODI World Cup format

Scotland captain Richie Berrington says players need to be "meaningfully consulted" on significant issues in cricket The World Cricketers' Association says it is "concerned" by how the 2027 men's 50-over World Cup will be structured. It warned that the format, which eliminates two of the three lowest-ranked teams early, raises "questions about transparency, consultation and the game's long-term commitment to global growth".

9h ago