Bathla Group: major Sydney property developer collapses after ‘perfect storm’, leaving buyers in limbo

Bathla Group says softening sales and impacts from federal government’s May budget contributed it being placed in voluntary administration

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Embattled home builder Bathla Group has been placed into voluntary administration, leaving customers in limbo in what it says is a “perfect storm” of circumstances.

It joins the long list of Australian residential builders and property developers which have entered voluntary administration or liquidation due to soaring material costs, labour shortages and fixed-price contracts.

US Treasury’s Scott Bessent ‘will lose’ battle with bond markets, former mentor warns

Trump ally should cut budget deficit rather than try to suppress bond yields, says billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller

Scott Bessent’s attempt to calm the bond markets and push down America’s cost of borrowing have attracted a rebuke from the US Treasury secretary’s former mentor.

The billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller, who worked with Bessent at George Soros’s fund management firm in the 1990s, has warned that his former pupil is courting danger by trying to suppress US bond yields.

Burnham plans trip to New York as Ukraine pleads for US-made missiles

UK prime minister ‘likely’ to travel to US in September, after meeting Zelenskyy and saying supply problem is ‘fixable’

Andy Burnham has said he plans to travel to the US next month to join European leaders lobbying Donald Trump to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles.

The UK prime minister told Bloomberg he was “looking forward to going to New York” in September, which is when the UN General Assembly will meet. He said details of the trip were not “fully confirmed” but it was “likely” to go ahead. The trip would be Burnham’s first US visit since becoming prime minister in July.

‘There was a lot of doubt and pain’: Arthur Fery on his dream Wimbledon run and the next step

British No 2 looks back on ‘Fery-tale’ after dealing with injury and shares his ranking goals before US Open debut

“I was around 300 in the world and still really struggling with my arm,” Arthur Fery says as he explains how life has changed from this time last year when, after his shock appearance in the Wimbledon semi-finals, he rose to No 36 in the rankings. His run of five victories, which produced a stunning turnaround in his career, was celebrated as a glorious “Fery-tale”.

But it does not take long in the company of the measured and thoughtful 24-year-old for the grit to emerge from the deeper shadows in his story. There has been more pain than glory in the long hard slog to this point but, amid the doubt caused by his injury, Fery’s self-belief has remained intact. As he says in Cincinnati, his success at Wimbledon provides a dizzying contrast to the testing times he has endured.

Reader Q&A: ask international correspondent Luke Harding a question now

The Guardian’s senior international reporter Luke Harding will be answering your questions live from 1pm BST. Ask him about his new book on Trump and Putin, the state of the war in Ukraine, or his career reporting from Kyiv, Moscow and around the world

Ask a question: log in or sign up here

Luke Harding, author and award-winning foreign correspondent, has covered wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and most recently Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2011 he was the Guardian’s chief writer in Moscow before being expelled by the Kremlin.

Luke has been reporting this week on the Andy Burnham’s renewal of support for Ukraine and Russia’s loudening threats to Britain. He has also recently written in depth about Ukraine’s increasingly successful drone warfare tactics and the aftermath of injuries for Ukrainian soldiers.

Going with the grain: how restoring biodiversity led one farmer back to heritage wheat

Henry Astor looked back to his grandfather’s time for the inspiration to find older varieties that could help nature on his Cotswold farm

It is the earliest harvest Henry Astor can remember. But walking through the scorched wheatfields of his Cotswolds farm, signs of life are everywhere – swarms of insects, kaleidoscopic wildflower meadows, bushy hedgerows several metres wide. A yellowhammer perches on a nearby tree.

There are 18 other red-listed birds on the farm, says Astor, who this year ringed 23 barn owls, three kestrels, two little owls as well as goshawk chicks. “Last winter we had clouds of goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch,” he says. Britain has lost 73 million birds since 1970; but at Bruern Farms, a small but welcome reversal is taking shape.

Boat trips, swimming and seafood: 10 of the UK’s best harbour towns and villages

From smoked kippers in Northumberland to dolphin spotting in Dorset and a palm-fringed village on a sea loch in the Scottish Highlands

The historic harbour is the hub of this working East Neuk fishing port, home to a fleet of about 30 small trawlers and creel boats. Their catches are sold at the covered market on the quay each weekday morning, and served at the harbourside Dory Bistro and Chip Ahoy at the Larachmhor pub. Pittenweem (which means “place of the cave”) also has a Victorian-era swimming pool next to the beach, which is filled by the tide twice a day. After falling into disrepair, it was saved by a local group called the West Braes Project and reopened in 2021, along with the crazy golf course. Early each August, there is an annual arts festival with exhibits by nearly 200 artists in harbourside spaces, heritage buildings, homes and studios. Pittenweem is flanked by two other pretty harbour villages, St Monans and Anstruther, while a third, Crail, is a little further north; the Fife Coastal Path links them all. The Bank in Anstruther has harbour-view rooms (doubles from £120 B&B).

‘Why isn’t there hip-hop in 3/4 time?’: the groups reinventing a Polish folk dance for the modern age

The oberek is a traditional dance beloved of state folk ensembles – but a new generation of musicians is reconfiguring its music into wild new forms, merging folk steps with electronics and the sound of Chicago footwork

It’s 6pm on the first day of OFF festival in Katowice, and a crowd is gathering in front of one of the stages to watch newcomers Tercet Imperial. Sporting disco outfits of nylon jackets, tracksuits and Chicago Bulls caps, keyboardist Piotr Zabrodzki deploys resonant acid melodies, while drummer Jan Emil Młynarski plays a rapid, irregular rhythm that brings to mind the scattergun beats of footwork, the ghetto-house subgenre that grew out of Chicago in the late 90s.

Not many of those jerking their limbs to the music in front of the stage are likely to realise that they are listening to a distinctly Polish sound: that of the oberek, a traditional dance in triple meter whose name derives from the Polish verb “to spin”, because it usually accompanies couples whirling across dancefloors in a circular motion.

‘My way to escape reality’: LensCulture street photography awards 2026 winners – in pictures

From pre-dawn Vietnam to cats scaling walls, the scenes in these prize-winning photographs show how the everyday can become mysterious, poetic and surreal

‘Petty grievances’ and an alleged troublemaker: unsealed Murdoch court documents give rare glimpse into bitter succession battle

Rupert Murdoch said in newly released correspondence that it would be a disaster if his media empire fell into the ‘wrong hands’

A year ago, Rupert Murdoch resolved the long-running fight over which of his children would control his sprawling media empire, ending a bitter legal battle and anointing his eldest son, Lachlan, as his successor.

Now, court documents have offered a rare glimpse into the family’s clashes before the decision, revealing the patriarch’s view of son James as a troublemaker who had to be ousted from the business and detailing tensions between Murdoch’s four eldest children and their airing of “petty grievances” about their father.

Indonesians brave choking smoke to pray for rain as country battles wildfires

Huge blazes in central and western regions of Indonesia have scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities.

The UK will help Ukraine make long-range missiles by sharing classified tech information

Burnham, who was in Kyiv for Ukraine's Independence Day, said defense firm MBDA will release details on U.K.-made parts for the SCALP missile to Ukraine to help the country assemble the weapons.

Canadians do not seek a trade war – but neither will we be bullied by Donald Trump | Jen Gerson

A fundamental rupture in the values that have united North America is not a problem that can be wished away: this is a warning to the western alliance

The Canadians are exceedingly angry. I realise this can sometimes be difficult for foreigners to deduce, given our national struggle to express the full range of human emotion outside ice hockey riots. However, let me assure you that the prime minister Canadians saw take the stage on Saturday morning in the wake of the collapse in trade negotiations with the US was a Mark Carney practically vibrating with fury.

“You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” he said, in a rare press conference that was as candid and clear as he ever tends to be. “That’s fine … We’ve got the reserves, we’ve got the resilience, we’ve got the plan, we’ve got the focus. We’re gonna respond, we’re going to focus on what we can control and what we’re going to build.”

Jen Gerson is a Canadian commentator and co-founder of The Line. She lives in Calgary, Alberta

Climate damage would obliterate any economic benefits of new North Sea fields, analysis shows

Exclusive: Economic harm of CO2 pollution from Rosebank and Jackdaw forecast to far outweigh any boost to UK

The climate damage caused by developing the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields under consideration by the UK government would destroy their economic benefits many times over, according to an analysis.

It estimates the economic damage caused by the carbon pollution from the oil and gas produced would be between £119bn and £336bn in the coming decades, compared with the £28.7bn in value to the UK estimated by Adura, the fossil fuel company promoting the new fields.

US set for largest mass visa revocation in history targeting up to 200,000 foreigners, officials say

The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States.

‘Like smoking a cigarette’: Indonesia chokes on haze as blazes intensify amid super ‘El Niño’

In Indonesia’s Kalimantan, fires have ravaged tens of thousands of acres, with suffocating smoke reaching Malaysia and putting Singapore on alert

Suwadi can barely see five metres in front of him when he steps outside his home in Indonesian Borneo.

Each breath, he says, feels “like smoking a cigarette”.

Sydney shark attack survivor describes moment she came to face-to-face with ‘monster’

In her first media interview since the June incident, Leah Stewart, 34, says her thoughts while being bitten were of her one-year-old daughter

An Australian woman who lost an arm after a shark attack at a beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has recalled the moment she came face-to-face with the “monster”.

Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of a one-year-old daughter, was attacked by a large shark while on a morning swim at Coogee beach on 13 June.

Gulf between Hezbollah and Lebanese state grows wider as Israeli occupation continues

People in south of country rely on group’s longstanding social welfare system that cash-strapped state fails to provide

Fatima al-Ashkar used toys to explain to her children that their father had been killed. She arranged toy soldiers in a mock battle and picked up an airplane, miming an air raid on the plastic men below.

“I started explaining to them: ‘Israel came and bombed here. Daddy was here. Daddy was martyred. Daddy was protecting us from Israel,’” said al-Ashkar, a 26-year-old resident of Markaba, south Lebanon. Her husband, Mohammed Ali, who was a member of Hezbollah, was killed fighting Israel in the region in early April.

NHS England to offer women ‘gamechanging’ free home testing kits for cervical cancer

NHS has target of eliminating the cancer by 2040, but up to 4 million eligible women are not up to date with screening

Millions of women in England who have missed cervical screening appointments will be offered free home testing kits on the NHS.

The move comes amid concerns that only two-thirds of women attend in-person cervical screening appointments when asked to do so, leaving as many as 4 million women not up to date.

The ear witness: Turner-winner Lawrence Abu Hamdan and his ‘sound evidence’ exposés of human rights abuses

From killings in Gaza to the alleged use of a sonic weapon on a vigil in Belgrade, the Lebanese-British artist reveals how his work for activist group Earshot is inseparable from his art

Lawrence Abu Hamdan has a double identity. He is an artist who, in 2019, jointly won the Turner prize; and one of his works is, for my money, among the most striking on show at this year’s Venice Biennale. But he is also the director of a young NGO, founded in 2023, called Earshot, which investigates human rights abuses using sound evidence. In less euphemistic language, that means, on occasion, investigating horrific killings. He and his team might analyse the direction and position of bullets Israeli soldiers have fired at emergency workers in Gaza, or build evidence that a sonic weapon was likely used to disperse a mass silent vigil in Belgrade.

The foundational work he did in this field was a project with the London-based research agency Forensic Architecture for Amnesty International. Back in 2016, he interviewed rare survivors of the unimaginably barbaric conditions in Syria’s Sednaya prison. There was a paradox at play in this murderous place – prisoners were held in complete darkness, and enforced silence, killed for making any sound. Listening was both the inmates’ only source of information, and a tool for survival and resistance. Their acute sonic memories of screams of distress and pain; keys turning in locks; bread being slapped down outside their cells; even of lice being snapped – helped Abu Hamdan and his colleagues build a picture of the prison architecture and its conditions, nearly a decade before it was opened to the light after the fall of the bloody Assad regime.

At least 35,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves

True figure likely to be much higher as it only covers about half of continent and does not include August totals

At least 35,000 more people died during Europe’s four record-breaking, back-to-back heatwaves this summer than would normally be expected, according to incomplete figures from barely half the continent.

Excess mortality in three of the EU’s larger countries – Germany, France and Spain – alone has already exceeded 25,000, according to the provisional national figures, and experts say the toll will rise significantly once August totals are consolidated.

Trump administration plans to revoke 200,000 visas of asylum seekers

The state department will revoke B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026, whose holders have sought or are now seeking asylum

Donald Trump’s administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the US, marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown.

A state department spokesperson said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently”.

Ukraine war briefing: Ozon next in Kyiv’s sights as sheds of Wildberries rival burn

Putin decree lets Russian state scoop up companies that come under attack; ‘dig into our stocks’ of Patriots, British PM urges allies. What we know on day 1,644

Ukraine has targeted four more warehouses of Ozon – Russia’s second-largest online retailer after Wildberries, which has itself been crippled by Ukrainian attacks. Ozon’s shares fell by almost 30% on Monday ​after it reported strikes in southern Russia that brought to six the number of its facilities targeted within three days. Ozon said a logistics hub in Makhachkala in Dagestan was on fire and had halted operations after a drone attack in which “several people” were injured. Another was on fire in Enem on the outskirts of the city of Krasnodar, while workers were evacuated from warehouses that came under attack in ​Adygeysk, in the Adygeya region, and in Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region.

In earlier events, drone strikes halted work at an Ozon ‌logistics centre in the Samara region and another ‌in the Orenburg region. Financial analysts said that unlike privately owned Wildberries, which has the backing of ​state-owned bank VTB, Ozon’s main shareholder AFK Sistema has a large debt and is unlikely to provide substantial support. Before the latest Ozon attacks, Vladimir Putin promised state help in the restoration of warehouses “at a new technological level” and asked the government to design a programme to help the sector. The EU imposed sanctions on Ozon’s and Wildberries’ financial units on 24 July.

Putin has geared up the Russian state to seize control of companies like Wildberries and Ozon, as well as fuel companies and transport operators, by deeming them too poorly protected from Ukrainian attacks. Special powers set out in a presidential decree will allow ⁠the state to take charge of them at a time when Ukraine has stepped up drone ⁠attacks on oil refineries and e-commerce warehouses. The state will be able to seize physical and financial assets, ‌and assume formal ownership ‌rights, if entities responsible for such facilities are judged to have failed to protect them and are too slow to repair them after any attack. It applies to fuel, energy, industrial, communications, transport and logistics facilities and other objects regarded as critically important for security and economic stability.

The ⁠Ukrainian military struck ⁠a ⁠Russian Mig-29 fighter ​plane and two ⁠Russian vessels in the Black ⁠Sea, ​Ukraine’s ‌drone ‌forces commander ‌Robert Brovdi said on Monday. It is the third Russian warplane hit in two days. Brovdi said on the ‌Telegram app that one ​of the vessels attacked was ⁠a tanker ​and the ​other ​was a ​bulk ‌carrier. Ukraine’s ⁠military struck a ⁠Russian military ⁠plant ​at Kamensky in the Rostov ⁠region, causing ⁠a ​fire, the ‌Ukrainian ‌general staff ‌said. The plant ​produces solid rocket ​fuel for Russian weapons.

The Perm oil refinery, Russia’s seventh-largest by volume, has shut down after a Ukrainian drone attack on 21 August, two industry sources ⁠told Reuters. The primary CDU-4 unit, which accounts for almost 40% of the plant’s capacity, stopped working on that day. Repair ‌works could take between one and two weeks. Another primary refining unit, CDU-5, which accounts for 34% of ​the plant’s capacity, has been idle since a 29 July drone attack. Lukoil, which controls the refinery, ​did not ​reply to a request for ​comment. The plant usually makes millions of tonnes of petrol and diesel.

Andy Burnham urged Ukraine’s allies to “dig into our own stocks” to provide it with more Patriot interceptor missiles, saying it “needs more help to protect its people right now”. The British prime minister chaired his first meeting of the “coalition of the willing” in Kyiv as Ukraine celebrated its independence day. Burnham said the coalition was “doing everything we can all do and working with our allies outside of this coalition to dig into our own stocks and help others dig into their stocks”. He called on the US Congress to “ratchet up” economic pressure on Russia as it struggles with a record budget deficit and declining oil revenues.

Ten Ukrainian prisoners of war who were thought to be missing in action have been released in a prisoner exchange, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He did not mention Russia in his statement, saying only that the prisoners had been released via Belarus, one of Moscow’s closest allies. Russia did not immediately say if Kyiv had returned soldiers in the exchange.

Families need to openly talk to children about misogyny, consent and sexual violence. Here’s how to start | Stephanie Wescott and Jane Gilmore for the Conversation

All family members should feel safe to raise concerns, ask questions and cover topics without fear of shutdown or reprimand

There have been multiple high-profile alleged incidents of sexual violence against women and girls in news headlines this month. Some of them involve teenage boys.

Families might find themselves having – or thinking they need to have – discussions with their children about consent and sexual violence.

There’s been so much in the news this week about [incident]. Have you seen it?

what have you heard about (a particular incident)?

how does it make you feel?

do you have any questions you’d like to ask?

Japan enlists 1,800 people to drag a 360-tonne castle keep using ropes and rollers

After repairs to Hirosaki Castle in Aomori prefecture, officials employed a technique known as hikiya to move the structure more than two metres

To chants of “so-re, so-re”, about 1,800 people came together in northern Japan over the weekend to pull a 360-tonne castle keep a little more than two metres closer to its original resting place as part of ongoing renovations.

The keep – a fortified tower within a castle – had to be moved to repair a wall that was damaged in a major earthquake.

Ex-NBA center ejected from WNBA game after being confronted by player

The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women should be allowed to participate in the league.

Supreme Court allows Trump to implement parts of order restricting mail voting

The Supreme Court divided 6-3 in granting the Trump administration's request for emergency relief.

Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella announces immigration crackdown

Far-right leader echoes ally Donald Trump and says operations to ‘track down illegal immigrants’ should begin this week, amid earthquake aftermath

Colombia’s far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced a crackdown on immigrants, ordering authorities to detain and deport people who are in the country irregularly or have committed crimes.

In office for just over two weeks, the millionaire former lawyer made the announcement on Sunday as the country continued to grapple with the aftermath of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on 10 August that killed more than 300 people and destroyed more than 30,000 homes.

Trump announces 50% tariffs on Canadian automotive and steel imports

President Trump said tariffs on Canadian automotive and steel imports will rise to 50% on Jan. 1, 2027, in a social media post.

Judge postpones U.S. trial for man accused in deadly 1988 Lockerbie bombing

A federal judge has postponed a trial in the U.S. for a Libyan man charged in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, citing the discovery of new evidence.

‘Honest leaders are the first step to a better future’: Cockroach hunger striker targets India’s political class

Sonam Wangchuk’s fast was spark that drove youth protest movement – and now he wants to cleanse the political system

For 26 days, India watched as Sonam Wangchuk wasted away. His hunger strike, held in solidarity with India’s “Cockroach” youth protest movement, would prove to be one of the most politically consequential fasts held in the country’s modern history.

Many in the country view the gruelling fast, which began on 28 June, as the crucial spark that helped propel the Cockroach movement into one of the most formidable challenges to the government of prime minister, Narendra Modi, in more than a decade.

From mixed martial arts to mechanical dogs: the World Robot Conference 2026 – in pictures

More than 3,000 products were shown at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing as China showcased its rapidly growing robotics industry.

The event, which ran from 19-23 August, showcased the latest advances across the robotics industry, from humanoid robots to embodied intelligence and cutting-edge components

Hawk Fire evacuations in Reno slightly eased as firefighters make gains

Shifting winds challenged firefighters battling the Hawk Fire in Reno, Nevada, that was keeping tens of thousands of people evacuated.

49ers owner arrested in police setup

The owner of the San Francisco 49ers was arrested this weekend at a trailer park, allegedly there to pay $140 for sex in what turned out to be a police setup. Carter Evans reports.

Why Trump's Canada tariffs are likely to have a modest impact on prices

Although some Canadian goods will get more expensive in the U.S., trade experts don't expect a broader inflation spike.

23-year-old pilot pulls off crash landing near busy Florida beach

Dramatic video captured a 23-year-old pilot's small plane in trouble, landing off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida. Kris Van Cleave reports.

Trade war of words intensifies between U.S., Canada

The Trump administration announced its so-called "economic D-Day" plans against Iran on Monday, while also lashing out at Canada and threatening more tariffs. Nancy Cordes has more details on this and a new Supreme Court ruling backing Trump's order to limit mail-in ballots.

Mystery under the streets of New York City as 3 people emerge from manhole

Video captured three people wearing headlamps and rubber overalls emerging from a manhole in New York City last week during the overnight hours. This is at least the third such sighting, and police cannot fully explain it. Tom Hanson has more details.

Lindsay Clancy defense calls for mistrial after witness brings up Clancy's Catholic faith

Closing arguments are expected this week in the murder case of Lindsay Clancy. The defense called for a mistrial on Monday after a prosecution witness brought up Clancy's Catholic faith and the concept of mortal sin. Shanelle Kaul has more details from the courthouse.

Rush to escape in Nevada as Hawk Fire sweeps into Reno neighborhoods

Authorities in Nevada told tens of thousands of people to evacuate ahead of a fast-moving wildfire on Monday. Jason Allen reports from the scene.

Mark Walter's TWG Global hires Goldman veteran Markowitz as top lawyer amid probe of insurers

Federal authorities are investigating how two insurers that are part of Mark Walter's business empire classified more than $20 billion in loans to his companies.

Glaring weakness in goal remains but early signs Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea should be fun | Jonathan Wilson

The failure to replace Robert Sánchez remains a mystery but the new-look front three should buy time for the new manager’s principles to bed in

After a weekend on which pretty much every potential challenger to Arsenal had demonstrated their flaws, there was a sense, perhaps even a need, for Chelsea to emerge as a serious contender – if only to prevent the title race becoming a procession. And while they were far from flawless, there were at least some indications that they could mount some kind of challenge.

They looked extremely dangerous in the final third, and Cole Palmer was involved in all three Chelsea goals, perhaps benefiting from a first summer off in three years. But they were rather less impressive through midfield or at the back, despite Josh Acheampong’s all-action performance, while goalkeeper remains the problem it has been since Thibaut Courtois left.

8/24: CBS Evening News

Fast-moving wildfires drive thousands from their homes; Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney asks the judge to declare a mistrial.

Gen Xers fret over Social Security. "I will likely be working in retirement."

Millions of Generation X Americans expect to depend on Social Security as their main — or only — source of retirement income.

Six months on, U.S. Navy families who evacuated Bahrain remain in limbo

When the U.S.-Iran war began, more than 1,000 dependents of U.S. Navy personnel in Bahrain were ordered to evacuate. After six months in temporary conditions, they want to know what the plan is.

Nearly 25% of workers are "functionally unemployed," analysis finds

An alternative measure of unemployment that accounts for wages suggests the U.S. labor market is weaker than it looks.

US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months

US Southern Command has struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two accused of trafficking drugs

The US military has launched a deadly strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of drug trafficking.

On Monday, US Southern Command (SouthCom) announced it “executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific”.

Target apologizes for ‘offensive’ Halloween costume after backlash

Retailer removes kid’s clown costume after people said it resembled a racist caricature used in minstrel shows

Target, the US retail corporation, said it pulled a controversial Halloween costume off its shelves after criticism across social media that it resembled a racist caricature.

The ad image for the costume, sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,” depicted a Black child in a bright orange and black top with solid black gloves and a mask with a wide, toothy smile. Both the child’s pose and the costume’s gloves and mask were likened to caricatures of Black people used in minstrel shows.

Penn State bust put focus on cocaine but on most campuses the big risk is alcohol

A drug bust involving an alleged cocaine ring at Penn State has drawn attention to drug use on college campuses, but research shows the big risk to students is alcohol.

8/24: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Trump administration unveils new sanctions against Iran; Supreme Court allows Trump order overhauling mail-in voting to proceed for now.

Nevada files lawsuit challenging federal plan for Colorado River revival

In Trump administration’s plan, California, Arizona and Nevada face about a 20% cut to water supply over two years

Nevada filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration’s new plan for the imperiled Colorado River, launching what could become the first of many court battles over the waterway that supplies 40 million people, dozens of tribes and 5.5m acres of farm land across the American west.

The federal plan, issued Friday, cut roughly 20% from the water supplied to lower basin states – Nevada, Arizona and California – over the next two years, with a potential for harsher cutbacks in the future, based on conditions.

Supreme Court gives Trump an interim win on his mail voting order, but hurdles loom

The Supreme Court paused a lower court's ruling that blocked key parts of Trump's order to limit voting by mail for the midterms. But U.S. Postal Service work on the order remains blocked nationwide.

8-year-old girl dies from brain-eating amoeba infection in Louisiana

Lillian Smart, 8, has died after being infected by an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that is found in warm freshwater, her family said.

Manchester City agree £34m deal for Allan Elias as Nico González nears Newcastle move

• Palmeiras winger’s arrival paves way for Savinho exit

• City monitoring Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo

Manchester City have agreed a €37.5m plus €2.5m (£34m) deal for the Palmeiras winger Allan Elias, with the club also in advanced negotiations to sell Nico González to Newcastle.

The 22-year-old Elias – known as Allan – made his senior debut for Palmeiras last year and has made 96 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and making 12 assists. He is yet to play for Brazil.

Bessent announces campaign to create "economic onslaught" against Iran and its partners

The Trump administration is trying to pull all economic levers at its disposal to cripple Tehran.

‘Project Magic’: RFL in talks with NRL over radical changes to investment deal

• Super League clubs rejected £35m deal last week

• The 14 owners due to discuss plans at meeting

The Rugby Football League is exploring radically different terms to the funding deal initially offered by Australia’s National Rugby League with talks under way over seeking a £50m loan package to replace the guaranteed investment of £35m that was rejected last week.

The Guardian has seen details of an alternative vision produced by Rugby League Commercial in a document entitled Project Magic, which the 14 Super League clubs owners will discuss at a meeting on Tuesday .

US threatens severe sanctions against countries with economic ties to Iran

Washington launches campaign to isolate Tehran but it is unclear whether it will apply measures to China

The US has threatened to impose severe sanctions against any country or entity maintaining economic ties with Iran, hoping to achieve with economic measures what military means have so far failed to do.

It is unclear, however, how far the Trump administration is prepared to go in confronting China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, which has signalled its resistance to US economic pressure to cut off links with an ally.

Mark Carney says Canada can’t accept US trade deal that would weaken French language

Prime minister praised for rejecting US trade proposal as Trump shows little interest in retreating from dispute

• Are you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from you

Mark Carney said on Monday that while American negotiators saw the French language in Canada as an “irritant … in Quebec, these are rights,” days after receiving widespread praise from political leaders for rejecting a US trade proposal that many perceived as weakening the country’s Francophone culture.

The prime minister’s remarks came hours after the US president, Donald Trump, showed little interest in retreating from the spat, posting on social media that Canada had been “ripping off the United States of America for years” and threatening a swath of new, economically devastating tariffs on cars and trucks.

‘Enough is enough’: players pile pressure on under-fire Gianni Infantino to resign

• President accused by ‘Fifa Legends’ of being power hungry

• Samuel Eto’o claims chief has not ‘done anything wrong’

A group of influential current and former footballers have added to the pressure on Gianni Infantino by calling for change at the top of Fifa, saying “enough is enough” in a statement shared widely across social media.

The intervention is particularly significant given some of those behind its circulation have undertaken ambassadorial activities for Fifa as part of its “Fifa Legends” programme. Among them is the former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikaël Silvestre, who also sits on the governing body’s 16-member players’ voice panel designed to assist with anti-racism initiatives.

US immigration officers reassigned to screen South African refugees and find ‘unlawful’ voters

Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two ‘high-priority’ initiatives

All US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by Donald Trump’s administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.

Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Aug. 23)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Trump Media CEO defends selling faster access to president's Truth Social posts, says more have signed up

Trump Media interim CEO Kevin McGurn defended his company offering faster access to President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts.

The Guardian view on Britain helping Ukraine: build the weapons independence Kyiv needs | Editorial

Moscow hopes western politics will weaken support for Kyiv. The UK and Europe’s answer should be to make Ukraine increasingly capable of defending itself alone

The events of the past few days on Europe’s borders may mark a turning point in Russia’s war on Ukraine. While the political skies in Kyiv have darkened for Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the military picture looks brighter. Ukraine can already send swarms of drones against Russian oil facilities, e-commerce warehouses and airfields. Andy Burnham’s arrival in Kyiv marks a step forward. Britain is releasing classified information on its components of Scalp, the French version of the Anglo-French Storm Shadow cruise missile, enabling its assembly in Ukraine. This is more than another weapon for Kyiv. Britain is helping Ukraine become less dependent on the western armoury.

Moscow sabre-rattles, but Britain should hold its nerve. Kyiv has been at the mercy of its allies, waiting to replenish weapons stockpiles and release sophisticated arms. Producing its own hi-tech armoury gives Ukraine greater freedom of action because western governments have let go. Two years ago it was different. Joe Biden waited until November 2024 before letting Ukraine strike deep into Russia with US weapons. Yet thresholds once deemed dangerously escalatory have since been crossed without provoking a Russia-Nato war. Kyiv is now being trusted with something more consequential: a measure of weapons independence.

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.

The Guardian view on the Tiananmen vigil convictions: Hong Kong too has been silenced. Others should speak out | Editorial

Two activists who organised commemorations of the bloody crackdown on China’s 1989 pro-democracy protests now face jail. Remembering is not a crime

For decades, Hong Kong mourned when the mainland could not. Its huge annual Tiananmen vigil kept alive the memory of the 1989 pro-reform protests in Beijing, and of the massacre that suppressed them. Along with Macau, it was the only place in China where the anniversary could be publicly marked and the truth preserved.

But the crackdown on the 2019 uprising in Hong Kong has crushed the freedoms that the region once enjoyed. That year’s vigil was the last. On Friday, two leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance, which organised the commemoration, were convicted of incitement to subversion under the draconian national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, face up to 10 years in jail.

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.

Prince Harry quits board of wildlife charity after rangers’ human rights abuses

Spokesperson for Duke of Sussex says he remains an ‘active and avid supporter’ of African Parks’ mission

The Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of a major African wildlife charity that had been at the centre of a human rights controversy.

Prince Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he was no longer a trustee of African Parks, which admitted last year that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of the Congo.

Redfin and Zillow must change agreement that hurts competition, FTC says

Federal regulators alleged that a $100 million deal between Redfin and Zillow stifled competition for apartment listings.

Vuelta a España: giant hail forces stage three abandonment in Pyrenees

• Huge hailstones prompt organisers to act 15km from end

• Riders seen heading into hotel on route to take cover

A torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced the abandonment of the ⁠third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday.

With 15 kilometres (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km route ⁠from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the ​skies darkened as the peloton neared the top of the Col de Mont-Louis and huge hailstones began ⁠bouncing off the tarmac and pelting the riders.

Nvidia says Groq racks will be online this year following $20 billion purchase

Nvidia's race to manufacture Groq chips and make them available to customers highlight the growing importance in AI of low-latency inference.

‘Fix that little spot’: Danish PM hits back at unsolicited beauty tip from cosmetic surgeon

Mette Frederiksen, who received message on returning from Ukraine, advises women to embrace self-acceptance

Sick of getting unsolicited beauty tips on social media, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, rebuffed a male cosmetic surgeon’s offer to “fix” her and advised women in similar situations to embrace self-acceptance.

Frederiksen, a Social Democrat and Denmark’s second female prime minister, posted on Instagram that she had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where she was subjected to air raid sirens, when she found a message proposing some help with her appearance.

Rupert Lowe set to be paid as much for divisive posts on Elon Musk’s X as for being MP

Restore Britain leader paid up to £1,476 an hour by platform, which critics say is financially incentivising inflammatory content

Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, is on course to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as an MP, after surging income from posts that include demands for mass deportations.

Lowe has earned £932 an hour for his posts on X, formerly Twitter, since the start of the year, according to his own declarations in the register of MPs’ financial interests, which detail how many hours he has spent on X for each payment he received from the platform.

A principal lost his job after helping a homeless student. He has no regrets.

Rob Burnside, a principal at an Ohio high school, made the decision to help one of his students, and it cost him his job.

Are you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from you

We’d like to hear from Canadians who are avoiding American products and what they’re buying instead

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries collapsed, with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney vowing to respond “dollar for dollar”.

As part of the proposed deal, Carney had asked provinces to lift their boycotts of US alcohol, which were introduced in response to earlier tariffs. The boycott has been part of a wider shift in Canadian shopping habits: an Angus Reid survey last month found 40% of grocery shoppers were actively checking where products came from, with most of those avoiding US products where possible.

Washington Post ordered to reinstate columnist fired after Charlie Kirk posts

The ruling said the newspaper did not have sufficient cause to terminate Karen Attiah, who at the time was the last Black full-time member of the Post's opinion desk.

Green Man review – Wolf Alice, Shame and secret sets keep the Welsh festival’s flame burning

Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales
The traditional fire might be banned this year, but festivalgoers are treated by energetic performances by Four Tet, Tamikrest and Westside Cowboy

Driving towards the bucolic Welsh valley that’s home to the Green Man festival feels a little apocalyptic this year. Charred peat and grassland smoulder on the hillsides, the remnants of one of the 20 wildfires that blazed through south and west Wales the previous week. The dangerously dry conditions pose a problem for the festival organisers: the traditional closing ceremony, during which a towering effigy of the titular Green Man adorned with punters’ handwritten wishes is set alight, has been cancelled. A sensible decision, but one that left longtime festival-goers with a serious question: where would all those wishes go?

Then, the heavens open. Manchester quartet Westside Cowboy pack out the main stage arena on Friday afternoon, thousands of soggy cagoules bobbing along to the band’s charmingly ramshackle blend of British indie and amiable Americana. “We were over there last year,” grins vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Bradbury, gesturing towards the significantly smaller Rising stage. They’re clearly over the moon – and it’s infectious. To close the set, the band down instruments – save a guitar and a handheld drum – and gather round one mic for a rallying performance of In the Morning. The recorded version sounds like a lullaby, but here they transform it into a euphoric boot-stomping finale.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleads no contest after arrest at Ohio trailer park

• 46-year-old charged with possessing criminal tools

• York fined and sentenced to two days in jail

• 49ers CEO also owns stake in Leeds United

The San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York has pleaded no contest to two criminal charges after being arrested at an Ohio trailer park over the weekend.

KRON4 News in San Francisco reported that York was initially arrested on suspicion of engaging in prostitution but that count was amended to a charge of disorderly conduct. He was also charged with possessing criminal tools.

Slayyyter live review – raucous show announces a new princess of sleaze-pop

Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles

The cult star proves she is ready for pop’s big leagues in a show that blends chaotic punk energy with technical finesse

The last time Slayyyter toured, in 2023, she struggled to break even and had to fly home boxes of unsold merch. Back then, she was still largely the domain of Twitter gays: a subcultural figure to those who assessed music in terms of “flops” and “bops”.

Then, midway through 2025, she released the electro-trashy Beat Up Chanel$, and suddenly caught everyone’s attention. With a career-defining Coachella set earlier this year, she had broken through into the mainstream alongside a class of flop-no-more artists – Zara Larsson, Raye and Tinashe – who had spent years seeming cruelly shut out of its central sphere, only to break through with a surprise big hit. For these artists, and Slayyyter in particular, the urgency of a last chance had become as galvanizing as the urgency of a first.

Liverpool are still haunted by the mess of last summer | Jonathan Wilson

Sunday’s draw with Newcastle shows Andoni Iraola’s new ideas as manager will need to overcome the squad’s lack of balance

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The good news for Liverpool is that, Arsenal aside, every other team with vague title aspirations who played over the weekend looked undercooked, and that Andoni Iraola’s men did, in the end, come away from Newcastle with a point. But the vulnerability to the counter that undermined them so often last season has not gone away, and nor have they suddenly found a new creativity under Iraola.

The main theme of the first three days of the new season was the value of stability. Manchester City under a new manager were poor and fortunate to overcome Bournemouth. Aston Villa, after big changes of players and backroom staff, were hammered at Brighton. Tottenham, midway through yet another overhaul, were dismal in losing at Brentford. Manchester United at least provided a degree of stability by looking very much like the United of the past decade in their defeat to Hull.

This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here.

Nicola Jennings on Ukraine’s independence day – cartoon

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Navy sailor on USS Lincoln says dad was arrested by immigration officials

Historically rare, immigration arrests of military spouses and parents have become more common under the second Trump administration.

USS Lincoln sailor's dad arrested by ICE, family says

U.S. Navy sailor Joshua Aviles, who is aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, says he learned his father was arrested by federal immigration officials. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports.

Ted Cruz says Texas Senate race will be a "$200 million" fight

GOP Sen. Ted Cruz outlined the road ahead for Republicans as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces off against state Rep. James Talarico in the closely watched contest.

Guns, axes, explosives: violent museum heists are on the rise, says Europol

EU police agency says shift could point to involvement of new criminal networks focused on specific artefacts

Robberies at European museums are becoming increasingly violent, with thieves sometimes brandishing guns, assaulting staff and using sledgehammers, axes and even explosives to smash their way into buildings and display cases, according to a report by Europol.

The EU police agency said that while museum thefts were generally seen as a non-violent form of organised property crime, member states had detected a recent shift “towards violent and forceful methods” that could point to the involvement of new criminal networks focused on specific cultural artefacts.

Ted Cruz says he thinks Canada's tariff response is "a little performative"

GOP Sen. Ted Cruz joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss his new book, "Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas," and weigh in on the U.S.-Canada trade feud and the Senate race in Texas between Ken Paxton and James Talarico.

Ukraine’s Independence Day and a Tokyo heatwave: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Cycling chiefs criticised for response to Fin Tarling’s death: ‘This simply cannot happen’

• Richard Plugge criticises UCI for its lack of action

• ‘Riders must be certain they can race on a safe course’

Richard Plugge, the manager of the two-time Tour de France winner, Jonas Vingegaard, has criticised cycling’s governing body, the UCI, for a lack of action following the death of the teenage rider Fin Tarling 10 days ago and said cycling’s leading teams should take responsibility for ensuring safety in races.

“Neither UCI president David Lappartient, nor anyone else, stands up and says: ‘Wait a minute, we really need to think about how we are going to prevent this from happening in the future,’” Plugge, the manager of the Vingegaard-led Visma-Lease a bike team, told the cycling website WielerFlits.

Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott found guilty of sexually abusing children

Five-day trial at high court in Glasgow heard Dott subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse

The former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school age children. The 49-year-old subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse, with the girl targeted between 1993-96 and the boy between 2006-10.

A five-day trial at the high court in Glasgow heard Dott exposed himself in front of both children, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them. On Monday, he was found guilty of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards them. In both cases the abuse happened in the Glasgow area.

Why does the New York Times keep calling the left ‘divisive’?

The newspaper often uses the word to describe elections with progressive contenders, implying a previous whole destroyed by the left

“El-Sayed and Stevens Project Party Unity After Divisive Race,” announced the New York Times on 5 August, the day the progressive Abdul El-Sayed beat out his centrist Democratic rival, Haley Stevens, in the Michigan senatorial primary. “Divisive” is now the Times’s favorite attack word, deployed repeatedly to disparage and try to undermine the astonishing recent advances by progressive candidates.

Four days after that first story, the Times again landed “divisive” under “Obama and El-Sayed Discuss Unity After Ugly Michigan Primary.” El-Sayed, it asserted, had “narrowly prevailed in a divisive primary after campaigning on a progressive and anti-establishment platform”.

‘A rock star on her own terms’: why we’re still so fascinated by Meg White

Recent incorrect attempts to reveal the White Stripes star’s whereabouts reflect how much we’re still obsessed with the one-of-a-kind drummer

In February 2011, the White Stripes announced they were no longer going to tour or release new music. The decision wasn’t based on “artistic differences” or “health issues”; instead, the decision was “mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way”.

In the ensuing years, vocalist-guitarist Jack White cultivated a wildly successful solo career and continued working sporadically with his other bands, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. Drummer Meg White, meanwhile, retreated from music, preferring instead to be a private citizen. In recent years, she politely declined to speak for a 2023 Elle story and didn’t attend the White Stripes’ 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Breakout indie band Westside Cowboy on rejecting tech and loving imperfection: ‘We’re not hermits!’

Despite their fast rise, the Manchester indie-pop band are happily going at their own pace. But what – if anything – did they learn from the advice of Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon?

When Westside Cowboy played Later … With Jools Holland earlier this year, fellow guests Duran Duran offered some advice. “Nerves are just your mind telling you that you’re about to do something extraordinary,” Simon Le Bon told the band, who were “cacking their pants”. Le Bon’s words didn’t really help. “I was hoping for some real advice,” says vocalist and guitarist Reuben Haycocks, laughing. “Like, where do I look?”

The Manchester band have had to learn the ropes quickly. By 2025, only two years after forming, they had won Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition, supported Geese on the year’s buzziest indie tour and signed to a major label. “We’d be lying if we said there wasn’t a little bit of pressure,” says vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Bradbury.

‘Better than The Godfather’: how we made brutal Yorkshire crime classic Red Riding

‘The show’s hardly an advert for Yorkshire. Sets would have a burnt-out car and maybe an upturned shopping trolley. Locals would say, “Can’t you put a nice floral arrangement there instead?”’

I’d been writing screenplays with Michael Winterbottom and in 2006, his producer Andrew Eaton said: “There’s this quartet of novels by David Peace. Are you interested in adapting them?” I read the first, 1974, and was drawn to it and repelled at the same time. It was strong meat, full of anger and injustice. It’s anchored in reality, especially the Peter Sutcliffe and Stefan Kiszko cases, but heightened and stylised. “Fiction torn from the facts,” David called it.

Guardian-produced Gaza documentary from Oscar-winning Israeli directors of No Other Land to screen at Venice film festival

Film directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, co-directors of No Other Land along with Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal , investigates ‘Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians’ during the war

A new documentary about Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, directed by Oscar-winning directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by the Guardian, is to receive its world premiere at the Venice film festival.

The film, called NAZA, has been produced with Jim Wilson and executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, the team behind The Zone of Interest, and is the only documentary that will compete this year for Venice’s prestigious Golden Lion.

Tourist dies in Death Valley after car gets stuck in 116-degree heat

A 68-year-old French tourist died in Death Valley National Park last week after becoming trapped in 116-degree temperatures.

World’s oceans hit hottest temperature on record in August

Average sea surface temperature outside polar regions was 21.1C on Saturday, latest data finds

The world’s oceans were hotter than ever previously recorded on Saturday, according to the latest data.

The average surface temperature was 21.1C, with the rising marine heat a stark indicator of the climate crisis. More than 90% of the heat trapped by carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning enters the oceans.

The Guardian’s climate forum 2026
On Tuesday 20 October, join Damian Carrington, and our panel of experts – including Professor Andy Haines, Katie White MP, Asad Rehman, Shruti Suresh Gareth Thomas and Amy Fairman for a hopeful and solutions-focused evening. Book tickets here or at guardian.live

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveils new U.S. economic sanctions to isolate Iran

The Trump administration calls this an "economic D-Day" on Iran. Iran vows to respond to fresh sanctions in a "seismic manner."

Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for charred corn, jalapeño and black bean nachos | Quick and easy

A fun and easily customisable snack, to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike

Corn is a late-summer staple in our house, but its arrival often leaves me feeling a little blue (end of summer and all that). So, instead, I like to entertain more and make the most of the warm, light evenings. These nachos are a great snack for adults and kids alike (just adjust the chilli for younger palates), and a solid base that can be tweaked any which way. Have some lovely ripe tomatoes to hand? Chop them up and throw them in, too. Avocados at their peak? A side of guacamole would be a dream. Got a well-stocked spice cupboard? Add a little sweet smoked paprika and even some crushed coriander seeds to the fried beans. Make it to your liking and pantry, and enjoy with friends, ideally in the evening sun.

How growing up in ‘Chemical Valley’ inspired lawyer to sue industry she used to work for

Hélène Duguy is taking on companies accused of failing to stop Pfas pollution in the area of France she calls home

The factories were just part of the landscape for Hélène Duguy growing up in the heart of an area known as France’s “Chemical Valley”.

“Those factories are visible from my mother’s apartment,” says Duguy, 34, whose mother still lives in St-Genis-Laval, south of Lyon.

After 100 days of the deadliest Ebola outbreak, it can be stopped. Here’s how | Jean Kaseya and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Ebola is a disease that spreads through communities, so we need to listen to communities if we want to halt its spread

Each time we travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we go first to listen. In Bunia, we have met dozens of community representatives: survivors, women, young people, local organisations, health workers and leaders from affected areas.

Their message was direct: involve us. We know our communities. We know where families seek care, how information moves and why trust is breaking down. Give us the means to help drive the response. They were right.

U.S. to detail new economic pressures on Iran. And, Canada to impose tariffs on U.S.

Today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to announce details on new economic pressures on Iran. And, Canada has vowed to impose retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

ICE’s tactics look increasingly like torture | Judith Levine

Plans for gloves that can deliver electric shocks underline the homeland security department’s sadistic practices

On 11 August, the Associated Press reported that the Homeland Security Agency will spend up to $20m to equip its agents with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks to the skin of a person deemed uncooperative. The “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices”– branded Glove, for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter – will be supplied by their manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, through a no-bid contract.

News of the acquisition inspired the editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes to publish a cartoon of an ICE agent wearing the glove, underneath which are a branding iron, an iron maiden, a rack, and other compliance technologies. AKA, instruments of torture.

Marching in the Dark review – rural Indian widows show stunning resilience as they battle poverty and taboos

Kinshuk Surjan’s documentary follows women in dire financial straits whose bereavement compounds their social plight, which they confront together

Out in rural India, a crisis casts a dark cloud over the seemingly tranquil vistas of wheat fields and soy farms. Over the past 20 years, more than 400,000 farmers have killed themselves, beset by mounting debts and low market prices for crops. Shot in Maharashtra, the state with the highest rate of farmer suicides in India, Kinshuk Surjan’s documentary sensitively captures another tragedy that lingers after death: left behind by their dead husbands, generations of grieving widows struggle to find their way in a society still burdened by patriarchal values.

Sanjivani, a woman in her 30s, is one such case. Eight years after her husband killed himself, she has taken over some of the farming responsibilities, along with other odd jobs, to provide for her two children. The camera rarely finds her at rest; Sanjivani not only works in the fields but also performs domestic labour for her extended family – cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. Her resilience is stunning to witness, but even more impressive is the emotional support provided by a tight-knit network of other widows. Together, the women gather for counselling sessions where they can freely discuss their emotional, physical and financial issues.