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The GuardianScandalUAE
Khaldoon al-Mubarak: the tightrope walker who made rare misstep over City charges

Khaldoon al-Mubarak: the tightrope walker who made rare misstep over City charges

Manchester City’s chair is key to the project of making Abu Dhabi a secure world power but his next move may be the sale of the club No one better understands the precarious tightrope Abu Dhabi walks when it tries to balance its relationships with western Europe while weighing the complex geopolitics of the Gulf region than Manchester City’s chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak. He was eight when his father, ambassador Khalifa Ahmed Abdel Aziz al-Mubarak, left the family Paris apartment for work on 9 February 1984 and was assassinated on the street in cold blood by a Palestinian terrorist. And no one outside the emirate’s royal family could be more wrapped up in the project of making and maintaining Abu Dhabi as a significant and secure world power and the dominant member of the United Arab Emirates, a nation state still only 55 years old. His paternal grandfather, Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz al-Mubarak, was chair of Abu Dhabi’s Sharia judicial department and senior adviser to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the founding president of the UAE. As such, Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz was the James Madison of the UAE (the founding father, not the Spurs player) in that he crafted the Islamic legal framework of the new nation in the 1970s.

9h ago
The GuardianLifeCalifornia
Why Arturo Béjar left Meta – and blew the whistle: ‘I don’t recall Mark ever being empathetic’

Why Arturo Béjar left Meta – and blew the whistle: ‘I don’t recall Mark ever being empathetic’

Béjar’s daughter was 14 when she told him Instagram was failing to keep her safe. So when he became part of Meta’s ‘wellbeing team’, he knew he had to speak out – and his testimony cost it billions The Social Reckoning hits cinemas this Friday, but the real world has already been working on a sequel – or rather, a threequel. Directed by Aaron Sorkin, the movie is a follow-up to The Social Network, detailing the further misadventures of Mark Zuckerberg and his social media empire, and in particular Frances Haugen, the employee who in 2021 leaked internal documents that appeared to show Facebook was aware of the harms its products had inflicted. It’s no spoiler to reveal the film climaxes with Haugen’s testimony to the US Senate, on 5 October 2021. That very same day, Arturo Béjar, a consultant on the wellbeing team of Instagram (which is also owned by Facebook), hit send on a long-gestating email to Zuckerberg and other senior Facebook executives on a similar theme. “I wanted to bring to your attention what I believe is a critical gap in how we as a company approach harm, and how the people we serve experience it,” Béjar began, before laying out some shocking statistics from his team’s survey. For example: 24.4% of 13-15-year-olds on Instagram said they had received unwanted advances, and 21.8% said they had been the target of bullying on the platform in the past seven days. Furthermore, 51% of Instagram users said they had had a bad or harmful experience in the past seven days. Only 1% of them reported it, and of those, 2% had the content taken down – so just 0.02%. This was a far greater degree of harm than the company’s existing measurements suggested. Zuckerberg never replied.

12h ago
The GuardianScandalHudson Valley
Leon Botstein resigns from Bard roles as key Democrat demands investigation into Epstein links

Leon Botstein resigns from Bard roles as key Democrat demands investigation into Epstein links

Jamie Raskin says ‘startling’ email asked whether young woman was ‘for me, or are you keeping her for yourself’ A powerful Democratic lawmaker has called for a criminal investigation into former Bard College president Leon Botstein after congressional investigators uncovered an email from Botstein to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in which he says Botstein asked if a young woman was “for me, or are you keeping her for yourself”. The latest development appears to have triggered the immediate resignation of Botstein from all Bard-affiliated positions, including his professorship and roles in Bard’s music programs. Botstein had led the college for 50 years and only recently stepped down as president.

22h ago
Daily PostScandalVenezuela
Maduro, wife charged over alleged torture of Americans in Venezuela

Maduro, wife charged over alleged torture of Americans in Venezuela

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged in the United States over the alleged torture of American citizens detained in Venezuela. The charges followed an investigation by the FBI and other US agencies. In a post on X, FBI Director, Kash Patel said the superseding indictment charges Maduro and […] Maduro, wife charged over alleged torture of Americans in Venezuela

4h ago
BBCHumanityIndonesia
Teacher who sexually abused pupil back in Indonesia jail after BBC investigation

Teacher who sexually abused pupil back in Indonesia jail after BBC investigation

A former teacher who sexually assaulted a student has been returned to jail in Indonesia after a BBC investigation revealed he was secretly released early. Mochamad Subchi Azal Tsani, known as Bechi, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2022 after being convicted of sexually assaulting a female student at his father's prominent Islamic boarding school in East Java, where he worked as a teacher.

8h ago
Daily PostDiplomacy
Outrage as Trump suggests Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles, San Diego

Outrage as Trump suggests Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles, San Diego

Democrats and some Republican officials are furious over ​President Donald Trump’s comment about a possible Iranian action in Los Angeles and San Diego. Speaking about Iran at a campaign rally in Nebraska, Trump stated, “Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego…this is a very small price to pay.” ​California Governor […] Outrage as Trump suggests Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles, San Diego

1d ago
The GuardianPoliticiansCalifornia
LA and San Diego residents ‘horrified’ by Trump suggesting Iran bomb them

LA and San Diego residents ‘horrified’ by Trump suggesting Iran bomb them

As Angelenos bemoan ‘sad situation’, those in San Diego say remark a ‘disservice’ to town with multiple naval bases Donald Trump’s extraordinary implication that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego have sparked condemnation across the political spectrum. As residents of the two major west coast cities awoke on Tuesday to another sweltering day in a record-breaking heatwave, the president’s comments sent blood boiling even higher. Jessica, a 28-year-old Los Angeles hair stylist, was scrolling through social media early on Tuesday morning and was shocked to see that Trump had just suggested Iran should decimate her home town.

1d ago
The GuardianHumanityEast of England
Racial and religious hate crimes at record high in England and Wales, data shows

Racial and religious hate crimes at record high in England and Wales, data shows

Offences targeting Muslims increased most in 12 months to March – up 15% – while antisemitic hate crimes rose by 10% UK politics live – latest updates Racially and religiously motivated offences have reached record highs in the UK, as the government’s main Islamophobia partner says attacks on mosques are increasing in severity. New Home Office figures show police recorded 146,825 hate crimes in the year ending March 2026 – a rise of 7% in the past year. Offences targeting Muslims increased the most – up 15%, from 4,479 to 5,132 – while antisemitic hate crimes rose by 10%, from 2,874 to 3,162.

9h ago
The GuardianHumanityTennessee
Christa Pike is ‘up and walking’ for first time after failed execution, lawyer says

Christa Pike is ‘up and walking’ for first time after failed execution, lawyer says

Recovery marks a dramatic turnaround for Pike, who remains in hospital after a botched execution in Tennessee Christa Pike is “up and walking” in hospital, her lawyer said, just more than a week after she survived two lethal injections during a botched execution in Tennessee. The recovery marks a dramatic turnaround after Pike was declared brain dead on Monday, before waking up and beginning to speak on Tuesday. Her ordeal has shocked many in the US and overseas and galvanized critics of the death penalty.

9h ago
BBCScandalNew York City
New York court hears arguments in ongoing 9/11 families' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia

New York court hears arguments in ongoing 9/11 families' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia

The Court of Appeals in New York has heard arguments from both lawyers for families of 9/11 victims and the government of Saudi Arabia as it decides whether the families' long-running legal case against the Middle Eastern country can move to trial. Almost 3,000 people were killed on 11 September 2001 after hijackers seized four US passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field, following resistance from passengers.

22h ago
The GuardianElectionsWyoming
Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

NAACP files lawsuit after head of DoJ’s civil rights division says she hopes to send election monitors to polls The Trump administration has been sued over its plans to deploy “a historic number” of election monitors to polling stations during next month’s midterm elections. The bid “stands to jeopardize” the elections and could “interfere with the right of voters to participate in the election free from intimidation”, according to the NAACP, which filed a lawsuit against Harmeet Dhillon, head of the justice department’s civil rights division, who has said she hopes to send 1,000 monitors to midterm polling sites in November.

1d ago
The GuardianInformationNew York
Israel promotes film that mimics NAZA documentary

Israel promotes film that mimics NAZA documentary

Embassies post links to hastily produced online film echoing style of real Guardian documentary about mass killings of Gaza civilians The Israeli government is promoting an online film project that mimics the style of NAZA, the award-winning documentary that details Israel’s mass killings of civilians in Gaza, in an attempt to counter the real film’s findings. The real documentary, directed by Oscar-winning film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and produced by the Guardian, is in cinemas and will be shown in more than 50 countries.

5h ago
The GuardianWar & ConflictIran
Tanker attacked off Qatar as Iran claims route transporting oil through strait of Hormuz will be ‘closed’

Tanker attacked off Qatar as Iran claims route transporting oil through strait of Hormuz will be ‘closed’

Oil rises above $100 as attacks on ships hit new high, amid reports Trump is discussing launching strikes before the US midterms A tanker sailing off the north coast of Qatar has been attacked, causing an unknown number of casualties, a British maritime security agency said. The attack came as Iran declared it would close a route in the strait of Hormuz being used to circumvent Tehran’s blockade of traffic. The vessel was in the Gulf, about 500km (300 miles) west of the strait of Hormuz, when it reported being struck “by multiple projectiles”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Wednesday. The UK authority did not specify the origin of the ship.

18h ago
The GuardianClimateWorld
Q&A: ‘Are the warnings all hype?’ – our environment writers answered your El Niño questions

Q&A: ‘Are the warnings all hype?’ – our environment writers answered your El Niño questions

Guardian reporters Jonathan Watts and Gabrielle Canon answered your question climate and extreme weather, from what to expect this winter in the UK to the increasing risk of natural disasters funkymentalist asks: Unrelated to El Niño, what is the likelihood of the AMOC (Atlantic meridional overturning circulation) shutting down? Jon says: I don’t think these two things are unrelated. Everything is affected by climate breakdown. And both El Niño and the slowdown of AMOC are related to the staggeringly huge amounts (see this article on zettajoules which I also referred to above) of extra energy that the oceans are being forced to absorb as a result of greenhouse gas burning. Quick refresher for any readers who are unfamiliar with this topic: “Amoc, or the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, is a system of ocean currents that brings heat into the northern Atlantic. Warm surface water from the tropics flows north and releases its heat in the subpolar Atlantic, south of Greenland and west of Britain and Ireland. Then it cools and sinks to a depth of between 2,000m to 3,000 metres before returning south as a cold current. Amoc is one of our planet’s largest heat transport systems, moving the equivalent of 50 times the human energy use, and it has a particularly strong impact on the climate in Europe, affects the ocean’s CO2 uptake and oxygen supply, as well as rainfall patterns in the tropics.” Gaby says: The name “El Niño” actually harkens back to long before forecasters used the phenomenon to track global weather patterns. Fishermen off the coast of South America began to track unusually warm water that would show up every few years right around Christmas - thus “The Little Boy” referring to the Christ child in Spanish. Scientists adopted the name, and added “La Niña” as its counterpart (when sea surface temperatures cool), and together they became ENSO - the El Niño Southern Oscillation. This year, though, feel free to call it “El Monstruo Gordo!” It’s going to be a big one.

1d ago
The GuardianWellnessToronto
Canada to indefinitely bar mental illness as sole reason for access to euthanasia

Canada to indefinitely bar mental illness as sole reason for access to euthanasia

Legislation is an effort by ruling Liberals to address growing clash over who has access to doctor-assisted death Canada’s federal government said Wednesday it would advance legislation to prevent people whose sole health condition is mental illness from accessing euthanasia, an effort by the ruling Liberal party to address a clash in the country over who has access to physician-assisted death. Under the current rules, people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness have been barred from accessing medical assistance in dying (Maid) to end their lives. But that ban – due to be lifted in March – has divided lawmakers over whether to permit this expansion of the Maid program. In Canada, Crisis Services Canada can be contacted at any time on 1.833.456.4566, or via text on 45645 from 4pm-12am ET. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

1d ago
The GuardianScandal
First Thing: Trump endures protests in Texas as DNC sues over adverts

First Thing: Trump endures protests in Texas as DNC sues over adverts

The president was repeatedly interrupted at a rally and faces a legal challenge over taxpayer-funded adverts. Plus Jonathan the giant tortoise, who may have the secret to longevity Good morning. Donald Trump suffered a torrid night at a rally in Texas that was rocked by repeated protests. The US president briefly stepped away from the microphone after one protester appeared to approach the stage. At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted Trump during his remarks in San Antonio, with some led away by police. One was physically assaulted by an older Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena. What is the latest development in the saga over taxpayer-funded pro-Trump ads? The Democratic National Committee has sued the Trump administration in federal court, asking a judge in Washington to stop the president from using taxpayer funds to air a series of ads promoting himself. The ads have cost taxpayers more than $12m so far, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Why has Trump been forced to distance himself from two top aides? Trump claimed he did not have “any idea who else they work for” after it was reported that Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of his 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, a campaign adviser and White House deputy chief of staff on leave of absence, spent the weekend assisting the pro-Russia government in Republika Srpska in the Balkans. Trump said: “I will terminate them, immediately” if he determined there was a conflict of interest. What is the latest in the diplomatic dispute between the UK and Israel? Britain is rebranding its East Jerusalem consulate as a UK mission. The move was forced by the Israeli government as punishment for Britain’s decision to ban trade with illegal settlements. There has been some dispute within the UK government over whether taking tough measures at this time against Israel could help Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election prospects this month.

9h ago
The TelegraphHumanity
From Yale to the Congo: The mathematician who became one of Africa’s most intrepid reporters

From Yale to the Congo: The mathematician who became one of Africa’s most intrepid reporters

In 2005, when the award winning journalist and author Anjan Sundaram was 22 and studying mathematics at Yale, he opened up the New York Times one day and noticed a small article on the bottom of a page about the Democratic Republic of Congo, which said that four million people had been killed there during the war. “And it just didn’t make sense to me that this wasn’t on the front page,” he says.

7h ago
The GuardianHumanityLondon
Molly Russell’s father to tell UK cinemagoers: ‘Instagram helped kill my daughter’

Molly Russell’s father to tell UK cinemagoers: ‘Instagram helped kill my daughter’

In ad to be shown before The Social Reckoning, Ian Russell will say ‘too little has changed’ since death of Molly, 14 The father of Molly Russell will tell UK cinemagoers “Instagram helped kill my daughter” before screenings of a new film about Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire. Speaking in an advert to be shown before The Social Reckoning, released on Friday, Ian Russell says “too little has changed” since the death of his 14 year-old daughter, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content on Instagram.

13h ago