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The GuardianScandalNorth West England
Andy Burnham to publish all details of his dealings with Manchester City

Andy Burnham to publish all details of his dealings with Manchester City

Move comes after criticism of remarks in support of football club’s owners following financial regulations breach ruling Andy Burnham has said he will publish all details of his dealings with Manchester City in his previous mayoral role after his intervention in support of the football club’s owners raised eyebrows. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, had urged the prime minister to publish everything related to his work with the club as Greater Manchester mayor and the Liberal Democrats wrote to him asking him to release minutes of meetings and declare all hospitality gifts received from owners of Manchester City.

2h ago
BBCScandalNorth West England
Burnham to release details of Man City meetings

Burnham to release details of Man City meetings

Andy Burnham is an Everton supporter Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will release details of his meetings with senior figures at Manchester City following criticism of his comments in the wake of the club being found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. An independent commission found City had broken rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018 by creating "sham" contracts with commercial partners to secretly funnel more than £830m into their football operations.

3h ago
The GuardianElectionsLondon
Andy Burnham says it is clear Russia interfered in Brexit referendum

Andy Burnham says it is clear Russia interfered in Brexit referendum

PM says he asked question upon entering No 10 but does not reveal who gave him ‘clear answer’ that Russia meddled Andy Burnham has said it is clear Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum, after seeking answers on the Kremlin’s involvement in the 2016 vote when he entered Downing Street. Burnham said he had asked whether Moscow had attempted to influence the referendum and received a confirmation that it had.

6h ago
Daily PostDiplomacyUkraine
Trump asks Ukraine to replace Zelensky over protracted Russian war

Trump asks Ukraine to replace Zelensky over protracted Russian war

President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine to elect a new leader, accusing President Volodymyr Zelensky of stalling efforts to end the war with Russia. “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said on Saturday before departing for a midterm campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee. “I suggest Ukraine gets a […] Trump asks Ukraine to replace Zelensky over protracted Russian war

16h ago
The GuardianDiplomacyMiami
Ukraine war briefing: Trump and Zelenskyy’s public tussle over Russian fuel deal worsens

Ukraine war briefing: Trump and Zelenskyy’s public tussle over Russian fuel deal worsens

Zelenskyy has ‘support of the people’, says Ukraine’s foreign minister after Trump calls for ‘new leader’. What we know on day 1,691 Ukraine’s foreign minister says Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the backing of the Ukrainian people and deserves support, after Donald Trump called for Zelenskyy to be replaced as president. “He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide,” Andriy Sybiga said on Saturday. “Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves support.” Earlier, Trump said Ukraine needed “a new leader” a day after the US president struck a deal ​allowing Russia to supply diesel to global markets, and as Moscow launched strikes on Ukrainian civilians, killing 20 people including three children. Trump on Saturday also called ⁠on Zelenskyy ⁠to stop hitting ​Russian ‌oil ‌refineries, saying: “He better damn ‌well stop.” Trump made the comments to reporters at the White House. Zelenskyy on Friday had reacted furiously to Trump’s deal with Putin, calling it “terrible” and “not fair and not honest”. Further ratcheting up the tension, Trump said Vladimir Putin would like to reach a deal on the war with Ukraine, and without evidence accused Zelenskyy of resisting a compromise. “Russia would like to make a deal … but for whatever reason, Zelenskyy does not want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters. “President Putin would like to see a settlement, strongly,” Trump said of a phone conversation he had with the Russian leader on Friday. The British prime minister, Andy Burnham, has moved to quickly back Zelenskyy, telling his Ukrainian counterpart they were in “complete solidarity”. In a call between the two leaders, Burnham told Zelenskyy he recognised that “the past 24 hours had been difficult for Ukraine and reiterated his complete solidarity”, according to a Downing Street readout. The leaders discussed “the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia”, with Burnham making it clear the UK “would continue to strengthen its sanctions on Russia and to take further action to constrain the Russian war machine”. They agreed to meet in person in the coming days, the readout added. US ⁠negotiators Steve ⁠Witkoff ⁠and Jared Kushner, ​who have ⁠spearheaded efforts to ⁠broker ​a ‌Ukraine peace ‌agreement, ‌may visit Moscow within the next ‌two weeks, Russian state ​news ⁠reported ​on Saturday, ​citing ​a source. A delegation of Ukrainian officials who visited Miami for talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine was on Saturday heading home, an aide to Zelenskyy said. “The groups are already on their way home,” Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to the president, told reporters. Vladimir Putin’s top economic negotiator on Saturday welcomed Trump’s call to replace Zelenskyy, describing his remarks as “historic”. “President Trump joins the many who believe that Ukraine needs leadership actually focused on peace,” Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s special envoy on economic cooperation, said in a post on X. Germany said Saturday it would continue to push for new EU sanctions against Russia despite Moscow’s agreement with Washington to release diesel to ease a fuel crunch. “The German government sticks to its measures sanctioning Russia and is working jointly with its European partners on new sanctions,” the government spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, said in a statement. Germany’s “support for Ukraine in its struggle to defend itself remains unfailing,” he said. “Diplomatic efforts for a peaceful solution continue.” Russia’s defence ⁠ministry said its drones ⁠had ⁠struck a ​data-processing centre in ⁠Kyiv earlier on Saturday and a ⁠cargo ​ship ‌carrying military ‌supplies to ‌the Ukrainian port of Odesa. In a statement, the ministry said ‌the Kyiv facility was ​used by Ukraine’s armed forces to ⁠collect, process and ​store intelligence. The ⁠ministry ⁠also said ​⁠its forces ⁠had ​captured ‌the ‌settlements of Lukashove ‌and Lobanivka in Ukraine’s ‌Kharkiv region, Russia’s Interfax ​news agency ⁠reported. Reuters could ​not ​independently ​verify ​the reports.

20h ago
The GuardianDiplomacyMiami
Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv blasts peace talks as just ‘smokescreen’ for Trump‘s Russian diesel deal

Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv blasts peace talks as just ‘smokescreen’ for Trump‘s Russian diesel deal

Trump’s announcement a betrayal of Ukraine, Democrats say; Ukraine strikes major datacentre in Russia. What we know on day 1,690 Ukrainian peace negotiators in Miami have been used as a “smokescreen” for a “weak” decision by Donald Trump to lift diesel sanctions on Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a furious response to the US president’s backflip on Russian sanctions. In a move likely to create a fresh crisis with Washington’s Nato allies, Trump announced the deal with Putin on his Truth Social network, saying it was essential to reduce fuel prices in the US, which have soared as a result of his decision to go to war with Iran. The Ukrainian president, who flew to Washington last month to plead with US lawmakers to pass tougher sanctions on Russia, said in a statement on Friday that it was “unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners”. “I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other.” Negotiators for the ⁠US, Ukraine and Europe ⁠held ​six ‌hours ‌of talks ‌in Miami on Friday with the aim ‌of reaching agreement ​on ending ​the war ​in ​Ukraine, ​a ‌source ​briefed ​on the talks said. They discussed a postwar economic package for Ukraine and potential new security architecture between Europe and Russia, the source said. President Trump announced the diesel deal as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting with Ukrainian officials in Florida to discuss a peace plan. Trump’s announcement was a betrayal of Ukraine, the European allies and US national security, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and senior Democrat senator, Elizabeth Warren. “Enough is enough,” the senators wrote. “The President must end his war with Iran instead of funding Russia’s war machine.” A number of prominent Republicans joined Democrats on Friday to condemn Trump for lifting the diesel sanctions, including congressman Don Bacon, who said the majority of Americans supported Ukraine. “The President’s policies towards Russia and Ukraine are failures. We need moral clarity not moral ambiguity.” Ukraine struck and partly disabled a major datacentre operated by Russian technology company Yandex on Friday in the second such action in successive days. Yandex, which is heavily involved in Russia’s ​AI development, said its data centre in the Kaluga region south-west of Moscow had been struck by Ukrainian drones and partly put out of action. Ukrainian arms maker Firepoint said Kyiv had used its FP-1 one-way attack drones to mount the ⁠strike. Four Ukrainians were arrested in Vienna this week on ⁠suspicion of spying, Austrian interior minister, Gerhard Karner, said on Friday, with Ukrainska ⁠Pravda newspaper saying two ⁠of ​its team were among those detained. Three remain in custody, Karner said, declining ⁠to provide further details because the investigation was ongoing. Austrian news agency APA quoted a ⁠spokeswoman for the Ukrainian embassy in Vienna as saying ​it was awaiting ‌an explanation from the ‌Austrian authorities on the circumstances of and legal grounds ‌for the arrests. The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russian ⁠forces struck ​three cargo vessels in and ⁠around Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on ⁠Friday, Russia’s defence ministry ​said. The ‌ministry said ‌one vessel was ‌hit in the port of Mykolaiv, another in the port of Chornomorsk and ‌a third, bound for Odesa, in the ​Black Sea. According to the ministry, all three vessels ⁠were being used ​to supply ​the Ukrainian ​military. Reuters could ​not ‌independently verify ​the ​report or the claim. Russian strikes killed three people and wounded at least eight across Ukraine, officials said Friday, as Ukraine struggles to counter escalating Russian bombardments that have killed more than 50 people over the past three days.

1d ago
The GuardianDiplomacyMiami
Zelenskyy furious as Trump announces deal to buy Russian diesel

Zelenskyy furious as Trump announces deal to buy Russian diesel

President says deal essential to lower US fuel prices but move set to create fresh crisis with Ukraine and Nato allies US politics – live updates Donald Trump was on a fresh collision course with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European allies on Friday after a stunning agreement to buy Russian diesel, upending years of US and western pressure on the Kremlin to end its four-and-a-half year war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy reacted furiously to Trump’s announcement of the deal with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “not fair and not honest”.

1d ago
The GuardianSustainabilitySouth America
Why a Chilean salt flat is a microcosm of the extractive frontiers of green capitalism

Why a Chilean salt flat is a microcosm of the extractive frontiers of green capitalism

In the Atacama desert, the extraction of lithium – so crucial to addressing the climate crisis – comes with escalating social and environmental costs A high-altitude desert plateau traverses Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. I am on the Chilean side, sitting in a Jeep along with two other researchers. The afternoon air is thin and brisk but the sun is piercing – a combination I am familiar with from years of living and travelling in South America’s Andean range. The landscape is a study in contrasts and contours: broad basins suddenly cut off by sweeping curves; flat expanses sliced by near vertical ascents. The Licancabur volcano looms large above us. Vegetation and humidity levels change rapidly with the rising altitude, bringing cooler temperatures, wetter air and denser plant life.

9h ago
The GuardianDiplomacy
The Guardian view on the US, Russia and the international criminal court: Trump’s assault on the rule of law intensifies | Editorial

The Guardian view on the US, Russia and the international criminal court: Trump’s assault on the rule of law intensifies | Editorial

A fuel deal with Vladimir Putin, and sanctions against the legal institution, ram home the president’s belief that might is right On Friday, Donald Trump drove home his belief that might is right and the rule of law is an obstacle rather than an essential foundation stone of international order. First came the escalated assault on the international criminal court (ICC), sanctioning the body itself. Then he announced a deal with Russia to buy diesel. The US has long chafed at the notion of being bound by the rule of law that it espoused publicly. That hypocrisy now appears as a lesser vice. The president has declared that “my own morality” is all that constrains him. His brazen flouting of the law, embrace of dictators and rhetorical attacks all undermine global standards. 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.

5h ago
The GuardianScandalGermany
‘Stab to the heart’: arrest of German ex-spymaster sparks calls for reform

‘Stab to the heart’: arrest of German ex-spymaster sparks calls for reform

Claims that August Hanning exploited intelligence for private clients comes after other troubling espionage scandals The ex-spymaster August Hanning once criticised Germany’s own intelligence services as “vegetarians” among prowling carnivores, demanding broader powers to keep the country safe in a treacherous world. Often described as a “godfather” of Germany’s 21st-century security architecture, Hanning is now charged with treasonous espionage and handing state secrets to a foreign power in one of the most spectacular alleged intelligence breaches of the postwar period.

16h ago
The GuardianDiplomacy
Houthi attack on Riyadh airport forces swift rethink of Trump’s new strategy

Houthi attack on Riyadh airport forces swift rethink of Trump’s new strategy

US president’s plan to park the wars in Iran and Yemen, while blaming Ukraine for diesel prices, looks unsustainable Middle East crisis live - latest updates The reckless missile attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on Saturday did not just export the death and misery inside Yemen to Saudi Arabia, it also left Donald Trump forced to reconsider his diplomatic and political strategy designed to take him into the midterm elections next month. The US president’s plan had only been unveiled on Saturday. It was to blame what he described as “a world problem” – spiralling diesel prices – on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his attacks on Russian oil refineries were the cause. He was going to keep the political temperature down on his war of choice in Iran and its spillover in Yemen until after the midterms.

8h ago
The GuardianWellnessEngland
‘I want to do everything I can to head off dementia’: why demand for the shingles vaccine is soaring

‘I want to do everything I can to head off dementia’: why demand for the shingles vaccine is soaring

Could a drug intended to prevent painful rashes also protect our brains as we get older? The signs are promising – but not conclusive. Yet that’s enough to be driving a boom in shingles jabs When Jenny, a 50-year-old marketing and branding professional from Cambridge, went for her shingles vaccine last year, an entirely different disease was on her mind. Having witnessed three of her four grandparents succumb to dementia, with all the distress that brought, she wants to avoid the same fate. She hopes the shingles vaccine might help. Jenny is far from alone. Britain’s high street chemists have reported a rise in demand for the shingles vaccine, at least some of which is driven by people more worried about dementia than shingles. And while the vaccine is free for some on the NHS, most under-65s pay around £450 for the full two doses.

8h ago
The GuardianScandalWest Midlands
Families of 9/11 victims await key ruling in New York as truther conference is held nearby

Families of 9/11 victims await key ruling in New York as truther conference is held nearby

Families say Saudi Arabia provided aid to hijackers while conspiracist conference casts doubt on official narrative “It’s shocking to me that we are still fighting for justice,” said Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, whose husband, Tom, a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald, was killed in the north tower of the World Trade Center 25 years ago last month. Strada began her odyssey toward justice in 2004, but last week in New York she and dozens of family members of those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks sensed they were closer to a US court hearing their case that Islamists gained influence in Saudi Arabia’s government and provided aid to at least two of the 19 hijackers.

9h ago
Irish IndependentElectionsNorthern Ireland
DUP accuses Northern secretary of ‘disgraceful appeasement’ by stopping Garvaghy Orange parade

DUP accuses Northern secretary of ‘disgraceful appeasement’ by stopping Garvaghy Orange parade

Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has been accused of “disgraceful appeasement” after he stepped in to stop an Orange Order parade route. DUP leader Gavin Robinson called for more information about the decision to be made public, questioning whether there had been a “bending of the knee of the rule of law in the threat of terror and violence”.

10h ago
The GuardianHumanityUnited Kingdom
Christian nationalism in Britain driven by people who seldom go to church, says report

Christian nationalism in Britain driven by people who seldom go to church, says report

Research challenges the notion that the growing visibility of crosses and other symbols reflects a revival of Christianity Christian nationalism in Britain is being driven largely by people who rarely attend church and are more concerned with defending the country’s Christian heritage, according to research. The report, by the thinktank Theos, identified five different groups within the UK in a survey that looked at their attitudes to Christianity and Britishness.

16h ago
The GuardianDiplomacyGreece
Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct

Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct

Senior official says president and US secretary of state are ‘extremely pissed off’ by conduct of US envoy to Greece Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. A senior US official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s federal holiday.

3h ago
The GuardianScandalGreece
Trump donor accuses ‘grifter’ Kimberly Guilfoyle of $100,000 quid pro quo

Trump donor accuses ‘grifter’ Kimberly Guilfoyle of $100,000 quid pro quo

Eric Deters says US ambassador to Greece asked him to pay off American Express credit card bill in return for access A Trump donor accused Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece and Trump family ally, of engaging in a “quid pro quo” by asking him to pay off her $100,000 debt in exchange for access to administration officials. Eric Deters, a former congressional candidate and lawyer, told MS Now on Thursday that Guilfoyle had “ambushed” him last year with an offer to provide access to government officials if he paid her American Express credit card bill, before her US Senate confirmation hearing as ambassador to Greece.

3d ago
The GuardianImmigrationSub-Saharan Africa
At least 139 dead including children after migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti

At least 139 dead including children after migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti

Eighty-four others still missing from vessel heading to Yemen with 305 people onboard, UN migration agency says At least 139 people, including 15 children, have died after a boat carrying 305 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. Another 84 people are still missing after the incident, which, according to survivors, happened near Guhere, north of the fishing town of Obock, during the night of 8-9 October when the boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen.

7h ago
The GuardianImmigrationHouston
ICE agent strikes man with vehicle during pursuit in Texas, officials say

ICE agent strikes man with vehicle during pursuit in Texas, officials say

Parra-Hernandez suffered a broken leg and taken to a hospital after being hit by car during an ICE operation An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent driving a vehicle struck a man on Saturday while trying to pursue him and someone else in the Houston area, according to authorities. The federal agency had been trying to pull over and arrest Jose Mendoza-Cervantes in north-west Harris county, Texas, when he and the victim, Miguel Parra-Hernandez, exited the vehicle, officials said.

7h ago
The GuardianCrime & SafetyCalifornia
US man shoots off-duty ICE agent who allegedly attacked him and daughter

US man shoots off-duty ICE agent who allegedly attacked him and daughter

ICE official, who was sleeping on man’s lawn and appeared ‘intoxicated’, faces felony charges, California police say A 72-year-old man shot an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official in California early on Friday morning after the “intoxicated and agitated” official assaulted him and his daughter on their property, local authorities allege. The Fresno police department said that the ICE official was receiving medical care after being shot in the midsection. The official, identified as David Gonzalez, is facing felony charges for assaulting the father-daughter duo, Fresno police said.

1d ago
The GuardianCrime & SafetyNew York City
ICE agent shoots man in New York City with five-year-old reportedly in car

ICE agent shoots man in New York City with five-year-old reportedly in car

Police say man taken to hospital and mayor says child physically unharmed as he condemns ‘unconscionable’ act A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot a man in New York City on Thursday afternoon. Early reports indicated that agents had surrounded the man and a five-year-old child in his car in a residential area before firing multiple rounds, the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, said in a statement on Thursday evening. The child was physically unharmed, he said.

2d ago