2 h. ago Hamas frees last living US citizen held in Gaza in what Trump calls a ‘good faith step’

American soldier Edan Alexander meets family at Israel border after masked fighters hand him over to Red Cross Hamas has freed the last living US citizen it held in Gaza, soldier Edan Alexander, in a unilateral move Donald Trump described as a “good faith step” towards ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages.The release of 20-year-old Alexander, a dual national serving in the Israel Defense Forces who spent 584 days in captivity after he was seized from his base on 7 October 2023, was agreed with little Israeli involvement beyond practical coordination on the ground. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago ‘Just wildly illegal’: top Democrats push to censure Trump’s plan to accept Qatar jet

Four senators, including Cory Booker, say they’ll press for vote against president’s plan to take $400m gift from QatarTop Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump’s reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump’s personal presidential library.Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorized to do so by Congress. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Perplexity nears second fundraising in six months at $14bn valuation

Artificial intelligence search start-up backed by Accel in $500mn round

Economics

4 h. ago Edi Rama on course to win fourth term as PM in Albania elections

Socialists set for clear victory with 30% of votes counted in poll seen as pivotal to country’s hopes of joining EUAlbania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, is poised for victory in general elections after preliminary results showed voters returning him to power for an unprecedented fourth term.With 30% of the ballots counted, Rama’s party was leading the leftwing Socialists to a resounding win over Sali Berisha’s centre-right Democratic party in a poll viewed as pivotal for the Balkan country’s attempt to join the EU. The incumbent party had garnered 53% of the vote compared with 34% for its main opposition rival. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago The secret training tool behind Usyk and Dubois’ knockout power – and why boxers are taking note

Gymnastic rings can offer benefits that extend beyond standard free weights such as dumbbells and barbells – here’s why these heavyweight fighters might choose to use them

Politics

7 h. ago Democrats fear Fetterman can’t handle stress of Senate and are looking for ways to help after bombshell report

‘Every time I see him, I’m worried about him,’ anonymous Democratic senator says of Pennsylvania colleague

Politics

10 h. ago Pope Leo’s brother shares clip calling Pelosi a ‘drunk c***’ and scolds Dems for having ‘Trump derangement syndrome’

Louis Prevost’s anti-Democrat rhetoric was unearthed in a string of Facebook posts

Politics

10 h. ago In Pittsburgh, candidates face their future voters, part of a national effort to engage the young

Young people have consistently turned out to vote at lower rates than older Americans

Politics

13 h. ago Arizona Democratic Sen. Gallego wades into immigration debate with new plan

Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego is wading into one of Washington’s most contentious and intractable political problems

Politics

17 h. ago Welcome to the era of ‘hostage politics’, where Labour is apparently your only hope | Nesrine Malik

First it was the Conservatives and now Reform. The only thing the government has to offer is that it’s the least worst optionIt is less than a year into this Labour government and we are already in another cycle of scare tactics. During the general election, any concerns expressed over Labour’s policies (or lack thereof) were quickly shut down by the pressing need to get a disastrous Tory government out.Now in power, concerns have been once again pushed aside. There is no time for the luxury of scrutiny of accountability, because now Reform is rising and the party must be stopped. Once again, the voter is asked to park their issues with Labour and save the nation from a worse alternative. “A vote for anyone but Labour risks more chaos under a Farage-Tory coalition,” posted the Labour party on its X account in early May. “Vote Labour. Stop Reform.”Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnistOne year of Labour, with Pippa Crerar, Rafael Behr and more On 9 July, join Pippa Crerar, Rafael Behr...

Politics

19 h. ago Lee Rigby's sister plans grueling challenge to mark 12 years since his murder and shares heart

Lee Rigby's sister has planned a grueling challenge to mark the 12 year anniversary of her brother's brutal murder. Proceeds of the fundraiser will go towards the Lee Rigby Foundation which supports bereaved military families

Events

21 h. ago Trump official who is taking over DOGE from Elon Musk revealed... and Democrats will be furious

He will soon take much of DOGE's workload, including working with Congress to recoup funds, reclassifying federal workers and advancing the proposed 2025 budget.

Politics

23 h. ago UK government to tighten immigration rules amid voter anger over ‘failed experiment in open borders’

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Monday unveil plans to tighten immigration rules, confronting an issue that has bedeviled successive governments and fueled the rise of a new anti-immigrant party that could threaten the country’s political establishment

Politics

23 h. ago Tories accused of 'insulting' voters with desperate pub banter claims

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith claimed vital legislation to keep employees safe from being harassed by abusive customers was an attempt to 'ban banter'

Politics

25 h. ago REVEALED: The Pope's brother's outrageous social media posts... including branding top Democrat a 'drunk c***'

Lou Prevost of Port Charlotte, Florida - the brother of the newly-chosen Pope Leo XIV - wrote a series of surprising social media posts which have just been unearthed.

Politics

26 h. ago What to know about the Newark mayor's arrest at an immigration detention center

An immigration detention center in New Jersey is at the center of tensions between three congressional Democrats and the Trump administration after the arrest of Newark’s mayor outside the facility

Events

30 h. ago Jasmine Crockett says Democrats want ‘the safest white boy’ for 2028 ticket and have a specific candidate in mind

Crockett said Democrats have ‘this fear’ about voting for a woman again after Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton lost

Events

32 h. ago Trump will destroy world trade, but democracies can defend themselves – and each other | Anders Fogh Rasmussen

We need a trade block, a D7, that would mirror Nato. An economic attack on one would be an attack on allAnders Fogh Rasmussen is a former prime minister of Denmark and former secretary general of Nato The postwar global economic order, with the United States at its centre, has created more prosperity than any other period in human history. Yet as Donald Trump takes a sledgehammer to that economic order, America’s democratic allies face a choice. We can accept the new cost of doing business with the US. We can follow the US down a path of mutually assured economic destruction with an ever-escalating trade war. Or we can find new avenues to keep free trade alive.My proposition? I believe we need a new platform for economic cooperation between the world’s seven leading democracies. Call it the “Democratic 7”, or “D7”. The EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea represent roughly 25% of global GDP and account for about 35% of global trade volume. Together, the...

Politics

37 h. ago Five UFC fighters could beat a gorilla in a brawl as scientist reveals how

EXCLUSIVE: An anthropology expert Macken Murphy has claimed it would take five UFC heavyweights to best a gorilla in a death match and revealed how much damage a head kick would do to the beast

Sport

40 h. ago Lib Dems launch ‘Reform watch’ to monitor party in local government

Exclusive: Ed Davey says Labour and Tories too scared of Reform threat to hold Nigel Farage’s party to accountThe Liberal Democrats have set up an internal “Reform watch” system to monitor Nigel Farage’s party in local government, with Ed Davey saying Labour and the Conservatives are too scared of the threat from Reform to hold it to account.The Lib Dem leader defended his party’s performance in last week’s local elections, saying council contests where they unexpectedly ended up behind Reform mainly happened because of a collapse in votes for other parties. Continue reading...

Politics