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OxStu • Uni of OxfordHumanityEngland
Oxford’s Reform UK society proved my point by inviting Nathan Cofnas

Oxford’s Reform UK society proved my point by inviting Nathan Cofnas

Earlier this year, I raised concerns about the rhetoric and political environment surrounding Reform UK, and argued that such political organisations with a record of anti-Muslim hostility are not entitled to institutional endorsement, or use of the university’s facilities to recruit and gain legitimacy. Some students dismissed my safety concerns and responded to points I did not make but that they would have preferred me to argue, the ‘freedom of speech’ argument being one of them. Though I am sure that they know […]

7h ago
OxStu • Uni of OxfordHumanityThames Valley
Oxford officials questioned by CCR on Cofnas event safety and free speech obligations

Oxford officials questioned by CCR on Cofnas event safety and free speech obligations

At an extraordinary Conference of Common Rooms (CCR) meeting, student representatives challenged the University’s risk assessment of Nathan Cofnas’s forthcoming talk, as Oriel College confirmed the event would proceed. Oriel College Provost Lord Mendoza confirmed that Nathan Cofnas’s controversial talk would proceed on 17 November, as student representatives questioned University officials over the event’s risk assessment, student safety and the limits of free speech protections. The extraordinary CCR meeting, on Wednesday 11 November, brought together student representatives from Oxford’s common […]

1d ago
The IndependentScandalEngland
Backlash after Jason Arday accuser invited to speak at Oxford University event

Backlash after Jason Arday accuser invited to speak at Oxford University event

Download our app Nearly 50 senior fellows and staff members at Oriel College, Oxford, have signed a statement condemning an upcoming event featuring controversial speaker Nathan Cofnas, describing his views as racist, abhorrent, and without scientific foundation. Mr Cofnas, a self-described race realist who previously targeted the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday with plagiarism allegations, is scheduled to give a talk on 17 November hosted by the Oxon Universities Reform Society on whether diversity, equity, and inclusion are undermining higher education.

1d ago
The TelegraphPublic PolicyUnited Kingdom
Psychotherapists tell MPs: We’ve had no complaints about conversion therapy

Psychotherapists tell MPs: We’ve had no complaints about conversion therapy

There have been no complaints to psychotherapists about conversion practices, a boss at the UK’s leading industry body has said, amid claims that the Government is “massively overestimating” the scale of the issue. Dr Lisa Morrison, the chief regulation and standards officer at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), told MPs scrutinising Labour’s draft Conversion Practices Bill that her organisation was “not aware of any complaints” ever being raised.

1h ago
The GuardianSpaceCentral Belt
European survey reveals 900m galaxies – and possibly secrets of ‘dark universe’

European survey reveals 900m galaxies – and possibly secrets of ‘dark universe’

Unprecedented view of cosmos provided by Euclid mission throws up many more cases of gravitational lensing A mission to create the largest ever 3D map of the universe has revealed more than 900m galaxies in its first major data release together with about 15,000 potential cases of a phenomenon that could help unlock the secrets of the “dark universe”. Launched in July 2023, the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission promised to create the largest cosmic map ever made, encompassing a third of the sky and more than 10bn years of cosmic history.

13h ago
NatureSpaceWestern Australia
Independent interferometric observable confirms black hole shadow in M87*

Independent interferometric observable confirms black hole shadow in M87*

A new epoch for direct visualization of accretion dynamics near the event horizon of a black hole began when the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration synthesized an Earth-sized aperture with millimetre radio interferometry and published the first reconstructed image1,2,3,4 of a black hole shadow at the core of radio galaxy Messier 87 (M87). The image appeared as a ring-like structure, representing the gravitationally lensed and redshifted emission around the central supermassive black hole, M87*, located at the galactic nucleus.

1d ago
The GuardianElectionsUSA
Democrat says Trump has ‘something to hide’ after White House threatens oversight efforts

Democrat says Trump has ‘something to hide’ after White House threatens oversight efforts

White House warns Democratic pledges to investigate president ‘may cross line into blatant criminality’ The incoming Democratic chair of the powerful congressional oversight committee said it appears Donald Trump has “something to hide” after the White House threatened criminal investigations over the party’s planned scrutiny of the administration. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the oversight committee in the House of Representatives, vowed to press on in the face of what he

1d ago
The GuardianWar & Conflict
The Guardian view on Gaza’s misery: don’t let Palestinian deaths mount in this bleak winter | Editorial

The Guardian view on Gaza’s misery: don’t let Palestinian deaths mount in this bleak winter | Editorial

The formation of a new Israeli government won’t stop the killing, but sustained international pressure must be applied What do you call a ceasefire when the firing has not ceased? The killings in Gaza decreased when the truce was announced last October, but they did not end. Israel’s strike on Thursday morning on one of the few remaining functioning hospitals, which killed six people and wounded 28 more, was the first on a healthcare facility since then. But it was not an anomaly. About four Palestinians a day have died on average since the ceasefire was declared. The Israeli military said that it had struck a Hamas commander and other fighters in the attack on Nasser hospital, without providing evidence. Its record does not inspire confidence in the accuracy of its account. Multiple UN experts and health campaigners have warned of the deliberate targeting of medical facilities and healthcare workers. Israeli military personnel have also described the shockingly high level of civilian deaths tolerated as “collateral damage” in targeting even low-level fighters after the brutal Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

5h ago
The GuardianPublic PolicyLondon
Tell us: what would you like to see prioritised in Andy Burnham’s 10-year plan?

Tell us: what would you like to see prioritised in Andy Burnham’s 10-year plan?

We would like to hear what you would like Andy Burnham to prioritise in his 10-year plan for government On the day Andy Burnham became PM, he declared that “later this year” he would “bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be”. The plan, which has been described as the core policy statement coming from No 10 this year, will include bringing utilities under public control, reducing bills and establishing a national care service.

1d ago
The GuardianScandalNorth West England
Labour MPs raise concerns Burnham’s 10-year-plan will not be radical enough

Labour MPs raise concerns Burnham’s 10-year-plan will not be radical enough

Exclusive: Reindustrialisation Research Group to meet with Cabinet Office to discuss worries over PM’s long-term strategy Labour MPs have sounded the alarm over Andy Burnham’s 10-year plan for government, raising concerns that it will not be radical or detailed enough. MPs in the Reindustrialisation Research Group (ReRG), many of whom represent “red wall” seats that helped Labour win the last election, are meeting Sally Jameson, the Cabinet Office minister, on Wednesday to share their concerns about the prime minister’s long-term strategy.

1d ago
The GuardianElectionsMichigan
Is the US blue wave a turning point for Europe, too?

Is the US blue wave a turning point for Europe, too?

Far-right populists remain insurgent and pro-EU governments are braced for Trump’s betrayal. But the midterms also showed that democracy can fight back • Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here “Is Maga dead?” asked Margaret, a Guardian reader in Switzerland, in a live Q&A with our correspondents after the seismic US midterm elections. If Margaret’s query expressed a hope that the Democrats’ blue wave could transform Europe’s fortunes after two years of Maga-induced trauma, she was probably not alone. The resounding defeat for Donald Trump’s Republicans and the installation of a Democratic-controlled US Congress has been met with understandable relief in European capitals. In the short term however, the worst for Europe is not over. Trump didn’t need congressional approval, after all, to unleash a trade war on his supposed European allies, threaten to invade Greenland, try to stitch up Ukraine or go to war with Iran, an act that has inflated fuel and food prices disastrously.

1d ago
The GuardianElections
Democrats’ US election sweep brings the price of their promised social contract into focus

Democrats’ US election sweep brings the price of their promised social contract into focus

‘The post-election wish list is about to run into harsh fiscal reality: there is no money’ Is this an opportunity for a new America? As the Reagan revolution four decades ago launched US society down the path to low taxes and meager solidarity, perhaps the Republican bloodbath last week could turn US politics toward building a new social contract anchored on an aspiration to equitable prosperity. One can sense the ambition of the bumper new crop of Democrats ushered to power last week, calling for support for programs for children and their parents; emphatically endorsing the long-held dream of Medicare for All. The project includes rolling back Donald Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, and restoring subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act that Republicans allowed to expire. And that’s just the start.

1d ago
The GuardianPublic Policy
‘Start listening’: Indigenous activist implores Albanese to block new coal, oil and gas

‘Start listening’: Indigenous activist implores Albanese to block new coal, oil and gas

Flanked by Greta Thunberg, Rikki Dank says the Australian PM must heed the calls for action on climate change An indigenous climate activist who is taking the Australian government to the UN human rights committee over its coal and gas exports stood alongside Greta Thunberg at Cop summit to demand Anthony Albanese “stop speaking and start listening.” Draped in traditional dress in front of a media throng, Rikki Dank, a Gudanji and Wakaya traditional owner, delivered an impassioned plea to Albanese to listen to “the Australian people when they say no more new coal, oil and gas”.

8h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Senator opens investigation into evidence RFK Jr ‘unlawfully lied’ to Congress

Senator opens investigation into evidence RFK Jr ‘unlawfully lied’ to Congress

Exclusive: Ron Wyden, citing Guardian report, is launching inquiry into whether health secretary lied about Samoa trip during confirmation hearings A top Democratic senator has launched an investigation into evidence that Robert F Kennedy Jr “unlawfully lied” in his 2025 confirmation hearings to become the US health secretary, citing a report by the Guardian. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the incoming chair of the powerful Senate finance committee, is seeking extensive records from Children’s Health Defense (CHD), the non-profit anti-vaccine group Kennedy has used as a vehicle to fuel his political rise, including all documents related to a 2019 trip Kennedy took to Samoa.

9h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
House Republicans urge DoJ to further investigate ‘key witnesses’ in Epstein case

House Republicans urge DoJ to further investigate ‘key witnesses’ in Epstein case

Republicans on House panel criticize US government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell Republicans on the House oversight committee released a report on Tuesday criticizing the federal government’s handling of the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, and called on the Department of Justice to interview “key witnesses, investigate Epstein associates accused of criminal activity, and ensure survivors have access to their records”. “The federal government has failed the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes for decades,” James Comer, the Republican congressman who chairs the committee, said in a statement.

2d ago
The GuardianCricket
Pat Cummins can end sandpaper saga with full disclosure of what players knew – not what they didn’t | Geoff Lemon

Pat Cummins can end sandpaper saga with full disclosure of what players knew – not what they didn’t | Geoff Lemon

Australia captain can confront ball tampering scandal with transparency about former team environment and how its members made their choices In March 2018, Steve Smith was handed a shit sandwich by Cricket Australia. Smith had helped in its preparation, as captain of an Australia team whose ball tampering experiments on their tour of South Africa had got out of control, but it was always questionable that CA limited the blame to Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Usman Khawaja’s recent revelations have added context that Smith adamantly took the fall to spare others. It is not in truth good leadership to perpetuate a lie, but Smith would reasonably have believed that his first job was to protect his men. Sometimes, you just have to tuck in. Eight-and-a-half years later, current Test captain Pat Cummins has been handed a shit sandwich of his own. This one is in the form of Khawaja’s book, detailing the 2018 team’s widespread acceptance of ball tampering. Khawaja got to enjoy his full playing career before this reveal, which has denied the same luxury to active players Cummins, Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. That doesn’t make Khawaja’s actions wrong. It’s a miracle the stitched-up version of events lasted this long. From day one, nobody involved had the courage to simply speak the whole truth. That’s the sole reason this saga continues.

23h ago
The GuardianCricketCentral Belt
England return to site of Ashes angst but Australia gaze stuck on sandpaper

England return to site of Ashes angst but Australia gaze stuck on sandpaper

White-ball tour begins in Perth on Friday but there is only one story in Australian cricket and the tourists are not it It feels like five minutes since England were last in pristine Perth, preparing – or rather under-preparing – to win back the Ashes, only for their glass jaw to be shattered by the flashing blade of Travis Head and a two-day defeat at Optus Stadium. But 12 months on, the mood is much changed. Beyond the fact this is merely a white-ball tour – three one-day internationals starting on Friday, followed by five Twenty20s – England’s main character energy has seemingly evaporated. Brendon McCullum is still the head coach in limited-overs cricket but no one is talking about “Bazball” or trying to sell it as some kind of sequel.

1d ago
BBCCricketEngland
Khawaja refuses to name Aussie ball tamperers

Khawaja refuses to name Aussie ball tamperers

Usman Khawaja retired from international cricket in early 2025 The publisher of Usman Khawaja's autobiography has denied his promotional tour has been cancelled but says there have been "adjustments" to the schedule. Reports in the Australian media, external said the former Australia batter had pulled out of several engagements following an interview with broadcaster ABC in which he refused to name which national team players knew of ball tampering in the 2018 Test series with South Africa.

1d ago
The GuardianPoliticiansUSA
The Guardian view on Maga after the midterms: doubling down on Trumpism | Editorial

The Guardian view on Maga after the midterms: doubling down on Trumpism | Editorial

Republicans know that the president’s folly and excesses cost them the elections. That doesn’t mean they’re ready to challenge him Shortly after polls closed last Tuesday, with the scale of the Republican trouncing in the midterms still becoming apparent, Donald Trump briefly adopted an oddly conciliatory tone. He declared that he was “absolutely” willing to accept the results, would look forward to working with Democrats and that deportation policies might have been “too tough”. It was never going to last. He soon cast doubt on the elections’ legitimacy. On Friday, he replaced his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, with her deputy, Stephen Miller – a white nationalist, or “stone-cold racist”, in the words of Hakeem Jeffries, likely to be the next House speaker. Ms Wiles executed the president’s decisions faithfully, but was seen as a somewhat calming if not restraining influence, which may help explain her departure. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

1d ago
The GuardianElections
Why are Britain's streets still so polluted? Because the car industry dinosaurs do what they like, and politicians let them | George Monbiot

Why are Britain's streets still so polluted? Because the car industry dinosaurs do what they like, and politicians let them | George Monbiot

The transition to electric vehicles should be moving apace, but it is not. And why? Incompetence, expedience and cowardice This is how it works. An industry puts tremendous effort into resisting change: lobbying governments, mobilising the media, pouring money into junktanks. It argues that a transition would threaten jobs, or damage the national interest, or harm poor people, while what it really fears is the cost of retooling its plants or developing new protocols. Then, when the inevitable cliff edge approaches, it whines that change is coming too soon. For reasons beyond its control, it isn’t ready, so the government must delay its plans. This is what triggered the Dutch nitrate crisis, and the UK’s repeated “emergency” exemptions from the ban on a devastating class of pesticides. Now the same dynamic is driving the UK’s crisis over the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The result is that, as the global climate summit, Cop31, begins, it looks as if our gift to the world will be a major, predictable and entirely avoidable increase in the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist

1d ago
Daily PostScandalUnited Kingdom
UK, Amnesty Int'l protest conviction of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu

UK, Amnesty Int'l protest conviction of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu

The United Kingdom on Tuesday protested the conviction of Tanzanian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Tundu Lissu on incitement charges, after a two-month trial. Minister for Africa and International Development, Kirsty McNeill, cited the report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which concluded Lissu’s detention was arbitrary and lacked sufficient legal basis. The […] UK, Amnesty Int'l protest conviction of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu

1d ago