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New special envoy for Britons detained overseas warns of limits of role

Alistair Burt speaks candidly about difficulties of tackling complex cases as families express concern over mandate The special envoy for British citizens detained overseas has spoken about the difficulties he faces in his new role, as families express concern over the position’s mandate in complex consular cases. In his first public engagement, Alistair Burt , the former Conservative Middle East minister, spoke candidly about the difficulties and limitations of the new appointment, made following years of mounting criticism of how the Foreign Office handled the cases of British citizens detained overseas. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Geneva Abdul14 Sept

Trump administration changes how it counts measles deaths amid Pennsylvania outbreak

CDC announces changes to how it reports measles deaths as Pennsylvania continues to confirm more cases The Trump administration has changed the way it counts measles deaths amid an outbreak in Pennsylvania, which on Sunday saw the third apparent measles-related death in the state reported by a local coroner. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now using data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is a way to track mortality trends over time, according to a note published to the agency’s website on 4 September. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Melody Schreiber14 Sept

Amendment to bill in Lords could test legality of £72m Reform donations

Plans to strengthen legislation already going through parliament might mean donors having to meet stricter UK residence requirements Andy Burnham’s government could thwart Reform’s unprecedented £72m donations with retrospective restrictions on political donors that will include tough new residency requirements, ministers have announced. In a move that is likely to set off furious complaints from Nigel Farage’s party, the government will table amendments to legislation going through the House of Lords within weeks that puts the legality of Reform’s latest donations in doubt. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot and Kiran Stacey14 Sept

Firefighters make progress to contain northern California’s Lucas fire

Cal Fire official says Sunday was ‘big turning point’ to reduce blaze in Lake county, now 30% contained Firefighters made progress toward containing northern California ’s Lucas fire, state officials said on Sunday. Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, which has burned more than 4,120 acres across Lake and Mendocino counties. The fire was 30% contained by Monday morning, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection, or Cal Fire. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Roque Planas14 Sept

From influencers to brutal finishes, US Open 2026 was worst grand slam in recent memory | Tumaini Carayol

Despite the drama on the court, the poor condition of Arthur Ashe Stadium was just one problem among many At the end of another comically late night and early morning in Flushing Meadows, when the remaining spectators were departing, a familiar scene was unfolding on the US Open tournament grounds. A handful of workers had congregated directly beneath a hole in the ceiling inside one of the tournament shops as they tried to stop water from flowing out of a broken pipe and ruining thousands of pounds worth of merchandise below. This was not a surprising sight. Upon entering Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, fans were greeted by some ominous signs: “Pardon our appearance while we write the next chapter of Arthur Ashe Stadium.” The tournament’s appearance, it must be said, was hideous. Inside the corridors and rooms at one of the biggest sporting events in the world, it felt like its main building was falling apart. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Tumaini Carayol14 Sept

Pietersen has England players ‘buzzing’ but McCullum delivers Carse warning

Former England batter starts role with white-ball teams Fleming also ‘right person’ to take Test team forward Brendon McCullum has revealed that he was the driving force behind the recruitment of Kevin Pietersen as a specialist mentor to England’s white-ball teams and said the new arrival had specific orders to “look across the environment and challenge me”. Pietersen spent his first day in the role monitoring training at the Utilita Bowl after delivering an address that had the players “buzzing”, according to McCullum, England’s white-ball coach. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Simon Burnton14 Sept

Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia University over years of alleged anti-Palestinian discrimination

Lawsuit accuses university of ‘deliberate indifference’ and failure to respond to ‘persistent and coordinated harassment’ Mahmoud Khalil announced on Monday that he’s sued Columbia University, accusing the New York City school he attended of a years-long history of anti-Palestinian discrimination, indifference to harassment, and retaliation. Khalil, a US green card holder of Palestinian descent, was a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) when he was arrested at his university apartment by federal immigration agents in March 2025, the first of a number of foreign nationals that the Trump administration has detained and sought to deport over their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Alice Speri14 Sept

‘Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like’: female athletes spark backlash against viral advert

American actor accused of sexualising women’s sports British sprinter Amy Hunt leads storm of protest The US actor Sydney Sweeney is facing a backlash from female Olympians and other athletes, who have accused her of demeaning and sexualising women’s sports by appearing in a controversial advert for a sports prediction company. In the viral commercial for Novig, which was viewed more than 22 million times in the first two days of its release, Sweeney’s nude body is covered by footballs, basketballs, and other sports equipment, as she tells users they can bet on “just sports”. After saying “sports” nine times, she appears topless on a pool table, before saying: “You can’t trade this, I just look good here.” Continue reading...

The Guardian•Sean Ingle14 Sept

China dismisses AI ‘fearmongering’ as spy chief warns of threat to Communist party rule

Beijing hits back after Anthropic CEO calls for US to impede China’s progress in AI China has dismissed what it said were “fearmongering” calls for the US to block Beijing’s AI industry, even as the top Chinese spy chief warned the evolving technology could threaten Communist party rule. The US tech entrepreneur and Anthropic chief executive, Dario Amodei, wrote an essay published over the weekend that called for a global slowdown in AI capabilities, but also said Washington should actively impede Beijing’s advancement in order to keep a technological edge. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Oliver Holmes14 Sept

Haaland goal should not have stood but VAR made the right call with Sunderland penalty | Chris Foy

Matt Donohue is only human and made a mistake, but overall referees have started well this season There was a disappointing outcome on a big decision in the Manchester derby and no one will feel it more than the video assistant referee, Matt Donohue. On Sunday night, Pro Ref confirmed that Donohue had made a mistake in allowing Erling Haaland’s goal in City’s 1-0 victory to stand when Enzo Fernández had been in an offside position. When a VAR considers a decision such as this they start from the point at which the goal is scored and work backwards. Here, when Haaland scores, the flag is raised by the assistant referee for offside. The VAR automatically checked that on-field decision and used a semi‑automated system to show Haaland was onside. The decision was then made to overturn the call and award the goal. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Chris Foy14 Sept

Pollock denies signing Northampton deal and is ‘open to every opportunity’

Flanker says: ‘You almost have to be quite selfish’ Northampton still confident 21-year-old will stay Henry Pollock insists he has not yet re-signed for Northampton Saints and is “open to every opportunity” including playing abroad and trying out other sports. The England back-row forward is still widely expected to agree a deal to remain at Franklin’s Gardens but, for now, is refusing to publicly confirm his intentions beyond the end of this season. While the 21-year-old flanker, who toured with the British & Irish Lions last year, has been offered a significant pay rise in excess of £400,000 a year to stay with the English champions until 2029, his new promoter Eddie Hearn has been touting Pollock as “a seven-figure player” in terms of what he brings both on the field and commercially. Prem salary cap regulations, however, mean that few, if any, other English clubs are in a position to afford him at that level. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Robert Kitson14 Sept

Will the £72m of donations to Reform UK be allowed?

Key questions surrounding the huge sums donated by crypto billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo Reform UK announced over the weekend the two biggest single political donations in British history: £36m from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and a further £36m from another crypto billionaire, Ben Delo. However, by Monday experts were questioning whether the donations would be legal, especially under the elections bill that the government is bringing through parliament and which will apply retrospectively. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Kiran Stacey and Henry Dyer14 Sept

Europe must build own AI or risk getting cut off by US or China, says ECB’s Lagarde

Central bank chief says continent’s AI dependency could give trade partners unprecedented leverage in negotiations Europe must develop its own AI technology and build more datacentres in order to nullify the threat of being cut off by the US or China, according to the president of the European Central Bank. Christine Lagarde said the continent needed AI models – the technology that powers AI tools such as chatbots – that were “good enough” to carry out most tasks and run from domestic datacentres. If Europe invests in its own AI tech, said Lagarde, “the threat of being cut off loses its force”. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Dan Milmo and agency14 Sept

Bob Mackie, costume designer to stars daring to be noticed, dies aged 87

Famous for his flamboyant outfits, he helped celebrities including Cher, Tina Turner and Elton John cause a stir Bob Mackie, the costume designer behind some of the most sexy and glamorous outfits worn by celebrities in the past 50 years, has died at the age of 87. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a fashion and costume designer, which is all he ever wanted to do,” read a statement posted on his Instagram account. “His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.” Continue reading...

The Guardian•Lauren Cochrane14 Sept

States and cities sue Trump administration over policy restricting green card benefits

The policy allows immigration officers the authority to deny green cards to those using public benefits A coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday over a new policy that would allow individual immigration officers to deny green cards based on use of public benefits. The new policy changes a long-established “public charge” rule, which dates back to the Immigration Act of 1882, established to ensure that newcomers to the country would be able to provide for themselves without relying on governmental benefits. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Adria R Walker14 Sept

Microsoft proposes limits on its AI with code of conduct amid safety debate

Firm publishes AI guidelines with Microsoft AI CEO saying: ‘AI must be subordinate and always in service of people’ Microsoft published a provisional “code of conduct” Monday to apply to the training of new artificial intelligence models, taking a step towards limiting the capabilities of the company’s AI as anxiety rises over the prospect that technology companies could lose control of AI products. Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, published the code on social media early Monday, writing: “AI must be subordinate and always in service of people. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Edward Helmore14 Sept

Russian oligarch close to Putin reportedly paid for part of Donald Trump Jr’s lavish wedding

US president’s eldest child married Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in three-day celebration across two exclusive private islands US politics live – latest updates A top Democrat has demanded answers after it was reported that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Donald Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas earlier this year. Trump Jr, the US president’s eldest child, married Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in a lavish three-day celebration across two exclusive private islands in May, which according to ProPublica was partially bankrolled by Umar Kremlev, a member of the Russian president’s circle. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Lucy Campbell14 Sept

The Guardian view on Reform UK: crypto billionaires must be stopped from undermining democracy | Editorial

The vast sums given to Nigel Farage’s party in recent days must lead to action on political funding The staggering sums gifted to Reform UK over the weekend have transformed the context for the representation of the people bill making its way through parliament. The announcement of two £36m donations from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, both crypto billionaires who have lived abroad, makes Andy Burnham’s decision not to impose a limit on political donations – a move he supported before becoming prime minister – look even more misguided. Fortunately the House of Lords still has the chance to amend the bill. It should take it by imposing meaningful limits on both political donations and party spending. It is unclear whether either man meets the criteria set out in the Rycroft review into foreign influence in politics. It set a maximum of £100,000 per annum for people who have not been in the UK for at least a year. Mr Delo previously lived in Hong Kong while Mr Harborne is based partly in Thailand; Nigel Farage said on Monday that he does not know the details of their movements. While ministers will view the prospect of a legal fight over eligibility with trepidation, they must do what it takes to ensure rules are met. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Editorial14 Sept

Leeds United v Newcastle United: Premier League – live

⚽ Premier League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off ⚽ 10 weekend talking points | And you can mail Daniel Let’s take a loser look at the teams… Daniel Farke tells Sky it’s been a good start in terms of performance and points, but this is a difficult test against a strong team who are especially dangerous in transition. They’re hoping to ride momentum and it’s good their fans are excited having suffered plenty. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Daniel Harris14 Sept

Alligator Alcatraz held detainees in cages the size of phone booths, DHS watchdog says

Office of inspector general’s report says practice at Florida immigration jail is not aligned with ‘humane treatment’ Before the facility was shuttered , detainees at Florida ’s “Alligator Alcatraz” federal immigration jail were frequently locked in outside metal cages no bigger than a phone booth, according to a damning government watchdog report that said the practice “does not align with standards for humane treatment”. The findings from the office of the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were published on its website – and offer rare criticism of the Trump administration by one of its own agencies. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Richard Luscombe in Miami14 Sept