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HaaretzHumanityIslamic World
Erased Israeli Settlers' Brutal War on Palestinian Communities in the West Bank

Erased Israeli Settlers' Brutal War on Palestinian Communities in the West Bank

Erased Israeli Settlers' Brutal War on Palestinian Communities in the West BankScroll downCredit: Avishay Mohar, B'TselemHagar ShezafShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppThese images appear again and again – from the ground, from the air, and on maps: dozens of Palestinian communities wiped off the landscape, while illegal Israeli settler outposts continue to spread across the West Bank.Since October 7, 2023, this phenomenon has intensified significantly. Unlike the war in Gaza, there is no discussion in Israel about ending this parallel campaign of dispossession.

32m ago
The GuardianElections
Persuasion, denial and bluster: Trump ‘stuck’ on Iran war ahead of elections

Persuasion, denial and bluster: Trump ‘stuck’ on Iran war ahead of elections

As the president tries to extract the US from his Iran war quagmire, leadership in Tehran is only too happy to crush his midterm dreamsIn the aftermath of his devastating election defeat, the US president remained haunted by regrets over .Months before lost the 1980 presidential election to , eight US servicemen died in a botched high-risk rescue mission that failed to secure the freedom of dozens of US hostages seized in Tehran.

13h ago
The GuardianInformationUSA
Pentagon fires publisher and editor of US military news outlet Stars and Stripes

Pentagon fires publisher and editor of US military news outlet Stars and Stripes

Max Lederer and Erik Slavin receive termination notices after publication reported on crew conditions on the USS Abraham LincolnThe Pentagon has fired the publisher and the editor of Stars and Stripes, the news outlet that has clashed with the Trump administration and armed forces brass over its partly taxpayer-funded reporting.Publisher Max Lederer and editor Erik Slavin received termination notices, reported on Friday. The cause cited was insubordination, and they have been given five days to appeal against their dismissals.

1d ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Free speech group calls foul play at prosecutors using Comey novel in case against him

Free speech group calls foul play at prosecutors using Comey novel in case against him

PEN America condemns lawyers using passage from thriller to bolster claim ex-FBI director intended to harm TrumpA leading US free-expression group has hit out at federal prosecutors’ use of a novel written by former FBI director James Comey in their case accusing him of threatening to kill .“Citing a novel to save an indictment that is constitutionally dubious is a desperate Hail Mary and should be rejected,” a statement posted on Friday by Mara Gassmann, legal director of PEN America, using a term for a last-second heave in American football.

5h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
US justice department defends prosecution of James Comey over ‘8647’ seashell post

US justice department defends prosecution of James Comey over ‘8647’ seashell post

Justice department claims there’s ‘no dispute’ over whether ex-FBI head’s post could be read as a threat against TrumpThe US Department of Justice has defended its prosecution of former FBI director James Comey, claiming in new court documents there is “no serious dispute” that his social media post last year featuring a photo of seashells arranged to read “8647” could be interpreted as a threat against Donald Trump.“There is no serious dispute that an objective viewer of Comey’s post could read it to mean ‘Kill President Trump’” prosecutors filed on Tuesday in response to efforts by Comey’s to have the case dismissed.

3d ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Trump’s new attorney general poses a huge threat to abortion rights | Moira Donegan

Trump’s new attorney general poses a huge threat to abortion rights | Moira Donegan

A call revealing Todd Blanche’s plans to crack down on mifepristone lays bare the dangerThe abortion pill is a miracle. Mifepristone, then called RU-486, was synthesized by a French lab in the 1980s; in combination with misoprostol, commonly used as ulcer medication, it cuts off the body’s supply of progesterone, halts the development of a pregnancy, and incites contractions, which empty the uterus. The drug allows pregnancies to be terminated with a shocking degree of reliability and ease. Gone are the concoctions of ergot and Spanish Fly dispensed by 19th century midwives, which only sometimes worked to induce a miscarriage; gone are the backroom procedures of the pre-Roe US, when drunk, lascivious, incompetent or cruel providers wielded bent coat hangers in dirty rooms. The abortion pill is safe, effective and cheaper than ever. And since Dobbs, it’s everywhere: even if you live in a state with an abortion ban, you can get the pills shipped to your house in the mail. Since Roe was overturned, there has not been a return to the terror of mass death that marked the pre-Roe era of septic abortion wards, where women routinely found themselves maimed, sickened or killed. There’s exactly one reason why: because illegal abortions were largely unsafe without the pill, and they are extremely safe with it.So of course, the Trump administration and their allies on the American right are trying to get rid of it. And this month, they gained a powerful new ally when Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and an anti-abortion zealot, was confirmed as attorney general.

11h ago
The GuardianScandalHong Kong
Tiananmen Square vigil organisers in Hong Kong found guilty of ‘inciting subversion’

Tiananmen Square vigil organisers in Hong Kong found guilty of ‘inciting subversion’

UK Foreign Office condemns use of national security law to convict activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tungTwo Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils marking China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 have been found guilty of “incitement to subversion” in one of the most high-profile cases in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020.Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”, a press summary handed out to reporters said. The defendants each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, with sentencing expected at a later date.

1d ago
The GuardianHumanityNorth West England
Abusers coercing or duping women to post explicit OnlyFans content, UK court cases reveal

Abusers coercing or duping women to post explicit OnlyFans content, UK court cases reveal

Separate criminal convictions come as domestic violence charities warn of tech-facilitated abuse and coercionTwo men have been convicted this week in separate criminal cases that revealed they had posted explicit content on OnlyFans without the full consent of the women whose images were uploaded.In the first case, Alexander Tang, 37, took and uploaded 47 intimate images and four videos of a woman to OnlyFans without her consent, and was paid money for the material he posted to the website.

9h ago
The GuardianHumanityUSA
A mosque in Ohio was attacked for the third time. Members doubt Trump’s FBI will call it a hate crime

A mosque in Ohio was attacked for the third time. Members doubt Trump’s FBI will call it a hate crime

Latest attack happened amid Islamophobic blowback against Arab and Muslim Americans running for officeNashid Shakir describes how assailants used wire cutters to break into the Westwood Islamic Community Center in the early hours of 3 August.“They cut the wire and broke the window to get in. They broke into the office, too. It was total disarray,” says Shakir, a board member, and member, at the community center since the 1960s.

10h ago
The GuardianWellnessUSA
Lindsay Clancy trial: everything that happened this week in court

Lindsay Clancy trial: everything that happened this week in court

Outcome of trial of a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children may come down to witness testimonyThe trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children in January 2023, will likely head to the jury next week to decide if she is guilty of murder or was suffering from postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible.The outcome may come down to expert witness testimony – and there have been many – but the trial will be remembered for the spotlight it put on maternal health care in the United States. Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington has said that, in addition to postpartum psychosis, Clancy also had bipolar disorder and was overmedicated.

12h ago
The GuardianWellnessUSA
Lindsay Clancy killed her children. Why do many women support her? – Stateside with Kai and Carter

Lindsay Clancy killed her children. Why do many women support her? – Stateside with Kai and Carter

The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a former nurse accused of murdering her three children, is wrapping up its fifth week. On Friday morning, the defense rested, and the public attention to the case is at a fever-pitch — especially on social media. Clancy, 36, does not deny that she strangled her children, but has pleaded not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, also known as an insanity defense. She argues that she was in the throes of postpartum psychosis, a rare and devastating condition that can go unrecognized and untreated. Host speaks with , deputy head of news for Guardian US, about how the case has renewed attention on the fundamental shortcomings in the US's maternal healthcare system, and about why Clancy's story has captivated – and polarized – so many people

1d ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial

Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial

In trial that opened on Tuesday, California and 28 other states accused the company of designing addictive sites and violating laws protecting children’s privacyMeta’s business can be boiled down to four words that begin with the letter H: hook, hold, harvest, hide, according to a lawyer who is prosecuting the world’s largest social media company.The owner of Facebook and Instagram “hooks” in users, “holds” them on its platforms for as long as possible, “harvests” their data and then “hides” the truth from the public, she argued.

14h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial

Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial

Arturo Béjar, former Meta safety engineer, tells jury tech company was aware of products’ potential harm to children has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a who testified during a against the company on Tuesday. He is slated to continue his testimony on Wednesday., a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images. He said he repeatedly raised the issue to various Facebook and Instagram executives but that they did little to resolve it.

3d ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
First Thing: Meta’s treatment of children on social media in spotlight as landmark trial set to begin

First Thing: Meta’s treatment of children on social media in spotlight as landmark trial set to begin

Several US states have accused Instagram and Facebook’s parent company of deliberately causing young people harm with its products. Plus: the Italian nuns fighting to keep control of their spot in the sunGood morning. More than half of the states in the US have that goes to trial on Tuesday, accusing the parent company of Instagram and Facebook of deliberately designing addictive products that lured in young people and caused them harm.The sweeping legal proceedings could have profound consequences for the company. The attorneys general say that if Meta is found liable, damages could be as high as $200bn – equivalent to the company’s 2025 annual revenue. The lawmakers are also asking that Meta be compelled to change the design of its products to make them safer for children, which may have longer-term effects than a fine.What is Meta accused of? The 233-page lawsuit, first filed in October 2023, alleges that Meta regularly collects data on children under the age of 13 without parental permission. The lawmakers claim in court documents that Meta “refuses to abandon its use of known harmful features” and that its motives are based solely on profit.How has Meta responded? Meta denies all allegations and says: “Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout. The state AGs may call this a landmark case, but their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate.”Why have conditions on board the ship become contentious? The Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier left port from San Diego on 21 November 2025 and has now set a modern record for the longest time at sea without a port call. It has been more than 250 days since it has touched land.What else is causing concern with US navy ships? A US guided-missile destroyer in the South China Sea in July. The USS Benfold was reported to have been towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines.

4d ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Texas slashes $50m judgment against Alex Jones over false claim Sandy Hook shooting was hoax

Texas slashes $50m judgment against Alex Jones over false claim Sandy Hook shooting was hoax

Appeals court slashes judgment to $1.5m in a significant legal victory for the rightwing Infowars founderA Texas appeals court has slashed the $50m judgment to $1.5m against Alex Jones, founder of the rightwing platform , over falsely calling the in Newtown, Connecticut a hoax.The ruling does not affect a $1.4bn judgment against Jones in Connecticut, but is a significant legal victory for Jones after he and his company, Free Speech Systems, were found liable for damages for claiming the mass shooting didn’t happen.

1d ago
The GuardianHumanityUnited Kingdom
Racism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, says equalities minister

Racism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, says equalities minister

Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson says politicians have helped fuel hatred and that police are not taking violence against women and girls seriously enoughRacism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, the equalities minister has said, as she warned that young men were being sucked into violent misogyny by the “cesspit” of social media.Bridget Phillipson said she was increasingly worried about how commonplace misogyny and racism had become, fuelled by online interactions and statements by politicians she said would not have been acceptable a few years ago.

2d ago
The GuardianDiplomacyIsrael
Israel withdraws support for embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino

Israel withdraws support for embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino

IFA points to ‘unprecedented crisis of confidence’‘Proper vision and direction for world football’ requiredGianni Infantino’s decision to sack his chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, after the Frenchman’s criticism of the World Cup sell-off plan has hardened some opposition to the Fifa president, with the efforts to force him out expected to intensify over the next few days.On Tuesday Israel became the latest Fifa member to officially withdraw their support for Infantino’s re-election in a letter sent by the head of the Israel Football Association (IFA), Moshe Zuares.

4d ago
The GuardianDiplomacyLondon
Former British and French diplomats urge action over Israel’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine

Former British and French diplomats urge action over Israel’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine

In letter to Macron and Burnham, more than 100 senior figures accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing and call for measures including trade banMore than 100 French and British former diplomats have said Palestine is being erased in front of the world’s eyes and called for urgent action including trade and arms sales bans to press Israel to accept a Palestinian state. dispenses with diplomatic language by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and warning that the world no longer sees Israel as a genuine democracy.Uphold the decisions of the international court of justice and the international criminal court.Suspend the EU-Israel association agreement and the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement for breach of human rights provisions.Suspend arms transfers to and from Israel and all bilateral military cooperation.Insist on unrestricted aid access to Gaza, led by the UN Relief and Works Agency, other UN agencies and international NGOs, with consequences for non-compliance, and access too for journalists, diplomats and parliamentarians.Ban all trade with settlements, including goods, investment, insurance and other financial services.Warn potential bidders for the “red line” E1 settlement or other settlement financing/construction that their interests in and with the UK and France will suffer.Make it an offence for British and French citizens to buy property on stolen Palestinian land and remove charitable status from “charities” funding settlements.

13h ago
The GuardianHealth Alerts
US kindergarten vaccination rates dip as exemptions hit record high

US kindergarten vaccination rates dip as exemptions hit record high

New CDC data shows MMR vaccination among kindergarteners declining slightly as non-medical exemptions climb to 4.2%A week after Donald Trump made a series of misleading claims about vaccines – including that some injections look “like the size of a soda bottle” – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest data on national kindergarten vaccination rates.CDC communications downplayed the changes – a three-sentence announcement said, “overall vaccination rates among kindergarteners remained high” – but medical experts immediately saw cause for concern in the trends.

11h ago
The GuardianWorld CupCentral America & Caribbean
‘See you at the hairdresser’s’: Gianni Infantino’s bizarre reply to bald reporter

‘See you at the hairdresser’s’: Gianni Infantino’s bizarre reply to bald reporter

Fifa president tells Sky man: ‘You have a nice haircut’Defies Concacaf president plea to stay away ​from eventGianni Infantino told a reporter “I’ll see you at the hairdresser’s” after he was asked whether he had betrayed football over his aborted World Cup sell-off plan.The Fifa president was stopped outside by the Sky News US correspondent, James Matthews, who challenged the under-fire leader of football’s governing body over why he had not resigned, despite calls from across .

13h ago
The GuardianElections
Fifa general secretary Mattias Grafström sounded out about standing against Infantino

Fifa general secretary Mattias Grafström sounded out about standing against Infantino

African federations sound out Swede over role‘They think he can group all the continents’ Senior figures in African football have held talks with Fifa’s general secretary, Mattias Grafström, to sound out his interest in standing against Gianni Infantino, the Guardian can reveal.As many as 15 federations in Africa are also said to be ready to turn their backs on Infantino when he seeks re-election as Fifa president next year, despite the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf) claiming that its executive committee (exco) had “unanimously reconfirmed” its support for the under-fire 56-year-old.

15h ago
The GuardianWorld CupSouth America
‘He must resign’: Fans’ petition calls for Infantino to quit as Fifa president

‘He must resign’: Fans’ petition calls for Infantino to quit as Fifa president

Fans say Infantino has ‘lost the right to lead’Statement also calls for Fifa to be reformedFans’ groups worldwide have launched a petition calling for the resignation of Gianni Infantino as Fifa president and for wholesale reform of the organisation.Infantino is after being forced to abandon plans to seek private investment to run Fifa tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.

2d ago
The GuardianAIUSA
Would even an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not | Timothy Garton Ash

Would even an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not | Timothy Garton Ash

It’s clear here in Silicon Valley that AI is advancing faster than humans’ ability to control it. That means even sober prophecies seem optimisticHere in Silicon Valley, the experts think that within the next couple of years we’ll see an extraordinary takeoff for artificial intelligence. “Welcome to the foothills of the singularity,” as a Stanford University friend greeted me. More prosaically, the imminent breakthrough is described as “recursive self-improvement” – the point at which AI itself trains each successive model of AI, resulting in an exponential development to something which, in many significant respects, is more intelligent than us humans.As Robert Wright puts it in his book : “Never before has the near-term future … held such a wide array of not-implausible paths for humankind that would be so wildly transformative.” But will this be heaven or hell? Heaven, says Elon Musk, who “an age of amazing abundance” – although he also sees a 10-20% chance of killer robots murdering us all. Hell is more likely according to , one of the intellectual founding fathers of AI. “My intuition is, we’re toast,” he told an interviewer in 2023. And talking to , author of The Infinity Machine, a book about the quest for superintelligence, Hinton estimates p(doom) – the probability of human extinction – at 50%, “because I haven’t got a clue how to estimate the real number”. “As soon as evolution [of AI] kicks in, we’re fucked,” he adds cheerfully. But whether it’s God or Godzilla, artificial superintelligence is just around the corner.Timothy Garton Ash is a Guardian columnist

17h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Nebraska school district asks police to stop using shock gloves on students

Nebraska school district asks police to stop using shock gloves on students

Omaha police agreed to stop carrying electric shock gloves in the halls of state’s largest public school district police recently agreed to stop carrying gloves that can deliver electric shocks to students in the halls of ’s largest public school district.The decision affecting most Omaha middle and high schools came after the Associated Press first revealed Immigration and Customs Enforcement ()’s plan to give officers the “Gloves” – or “generated low output voltage emitters”. The devices have also been used in recent years by some jails.

8h ago
The GuardianWar & ConflictUSA
Stars and Stripes publisher could be fired before planned retirement, sources say

Stars and Stripes publisher could be fired before planned retirement, sources say

Max Lederer, longtime head of the US military news outlet, says his ‘philosophy of leadership’ differs from defense’sThe long-serving publisher of the Stars and Stripes could face an early dismissal just days after the taxpayer-funded military news outlet’s reporting revealed deteriorating conditions aboard the USS aircraft carrier, according to a news report.Pentagon officials have discussed firing Max Lederer ahead of his scheduled retirement next month, , which quoted anonymous sources. Lederer, the publisher of the military daily for 19 years, had previously cited fundamental differences with the Trump administration for his decision to retire soon.

2d ago