16 h. ago LIZZY BUCHAN: Empty seats at Tory conference underline grim reality for troubled party

'Kemi Badenoch has probably bought herself some time with the Tory party - at least until the looming nightmare of the local elections in May. But was anyone else listening?'

Events

65 h. ago Lorde joins over 1000 artists in 'No Music for Genocide' boycott against Israel

Lorde has joined musicians like Paramore, Kneecap and Bjork in a cultural boycott against Israel which calls for artists to block their music from being streamed in the region

Politics

69 h. ago Reform UK 'set to hike Kent council tax by 5% next year' amid claims DOGE

The local authority was one of 10 English councils that Nigel Farage's party seized control of at May's local elections.

Politics

3 d. ago Georgia’s prime minister announces crackdown on dissent after Tbilisi protests

Irakli Kobakhidze accused EU ambassador of supporting ‘attempt to overthrow constitutional order’ Georgia’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a sweeping crackdown on dissent, accusing demonstrators who tried to storm the presidential palace of aiming to topple his government and blaming the European Union for interference in his country.Kobakhidze levelled his allegations a day after protesters attempted to breach the presidential palace as local elections were being held. They were stopped by riot police using pepper spray and water cannon. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Georgia launches sweeping crackdown on dissent as opposition blocs boycott local election, in photos

Police in Georgia used water cannons and pepper spray on Saturday to push back protesters who tried to storm the presidential palace, as the South Caucasus country held a municipal election boycotted by the main opposition blocs amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Politics

6 d. ago Reform UK council in Nottinghamshire ends ban on local journalists

Ban on Nottingham Post and its website reversed after threat of legal action over damaging freedom of expressionA Reform UK council has ended its ban on journalists from the area’s biggest local newspaper after being threatened with legal action over damaging the outlet’s freedom of expression.Nottinghamshire county council, which has been led by Reform since the local elections earlier this year, said it was “committed to the principles of openness” after lifting the sanctions it had placed on journalists from the Nottingham Post and its website, Nottinghamshire Live. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘We are the last hope’: Gen Z Madagascar vows to fight on until president resigns

Protesting young people reject dissolution of government as insufficient and demand list of reforms Young protesters in Madagascar have said they will continue their fight until the president, Andry Rajoelina, resigns, rejecting his dissolution of the government on Monday as insufficient.Twenty-two people were killed and 100 injured at the demonstrations, according to the UN. The unrest broke out on 25 September when local councillors were arrested for protesting against water and electricity outages in the capital, Antananarivo. The youth-led protests quickly spread to other towns and cities, fuelled by social media and other “Gen Z protests in Indonesia and Nepal, where the government was toppled. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago How Alastair Campbell became absolutely 'smitten' with the 'drop

The Princess of Wales met Alastair Campbell on the evening of the 1995 local elections after she had enjoyed a meal with Tony and Cherie Blair.

Politics

1 week ago Private equity sees profits in power utilities as electric bills rise and Big Tech seeks more energy

Private investment firms that are helping finance America’s artificial intelligence race and the huge buildout of energy-hungry data centers are getting interested in the local utilities that deliver electricity to regular customers — and the servers that power AI

Science

1 week ago Keir Starmer refuses to say if he'd stand down if Labour lose Senedd elections in Wales

May's local and devolved elections will be a key test for the Prime Minister

Politics

2 w. ago Resisting Faragism offers the Lib Dems a rare clarity of purpose | Rafael Behr

Ed Davey’s rallying cry in defence of moderate, liberal Britain might give some coherence to a party with a reputation for opportunismIn the polarised climate of British politics, irritation with Liberal Democrats is one of the few things that Labour and Tory MPs have in common. Parliament’s two biggest parties see each other as arch enemies – status that affords some mutual respect. The Lib Dems are treated more like pests, ideological shapeshifters, wheedling their way into voters’ affections, burrowing into local politics. If allowed to nest in a constituency, they are notoriously hard to shift.Kemi Badenoch has a severe infestation in her back yard. Of the 72 seats currently held by Ed Davey’s party, 60 were taken from Conservatives. The former seats of three Tory prime ministers – David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson – are now represented by Lib Dem MPs. That pattern was repeated in this year’s local elections, when the Lib Dems gained 163 seats almost entirely at the T...

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on the Lib Dem conference: speaking for parts of England | Editorial

Sir Ed Davey’s party has plenty to look forward to, but also difficult choices to makeThe two largest parties in the House of Commons approach the 2025 autumn conference season with trepidation. Both Labour and the Conservatives are spooked by collapses in voter support and by the rise of Reform UK. Party anxiety, internal disagreements and even grassroots revolts seem possible at both of their conferences.The third-largest party, the Liberal Democrats, have no such worries at all. They start their conference in Bournemouth this weekend in resilient mood. Having won 72 Commons seats in 2024 – the best result by any third party for a century – Sir Ed Davey’s party cemented those gains in the 2025 English local elections. While Labour and the Tories lost both votes and seats to Reform UK, the Lib Dems did the reverse, gaining seats and capturing three county councils. As a result, Sir Ed claimed the Lib Dems were now “the party of middle England”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago What to know about Malawi's elections as an economic crisis grips the country

Malawi is holding elections to choose a president, lawmakers, and local government councillors

Politics

3 w. ago German far right triples support in local election vote, early forecasts show

The results send a warning to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's four-month-old national coalition with the Social Democrats

Politics

3 w. ago Australian PM blames ‘aggressive protesters’ for closure of local electorate office

Anthony Albanese says site next to church ‘became untenable’ after repeated protests against Gaza war in inner Sydney suburbThe Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has closed his inner-Sydney electorate office after almost 30 years, saying his hand had been forced by repeated protests outside the office.Albanese’s office in Marrickville, in his electorate of Grayndler, has long been a target of demonstrations, particularly over the war in Gaza, including a months-long sit-in outside the office in 2024. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Keir Starmer warned ‘time running out’ to repair faltering leadership

After disastrous week, some MPs predict challenge against PM likely if local and Welsh elections go badly next MayKeir Starmer has been warned that time is running out to repair his faltering leadership, with Labour MPs beginning to ask whether he could be challenged as prime minister.After a disastrous week in which Angela Rayner resigned and Peter Mandelson was sacked as ambassador to Washington, a number of MPs said a challenge was likely if local and Welsh elections went badly next May. Some said the one thing now protecting Starmer was the lack of an agreed replacement. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Macron faces La Fin: Calls for president to follow PM and quit or be impeached as France spirals into crisis amid fears nationwide strikes will become 'day of insurrection'

Called 'Let's block everything', the general strike is expected to bring together some 100,000 people who will walk out of the office, boycott businesses, stage sit-ins and blockade streets.

Politics

4 w. ago Macron faces Le Fin: Calls for president to follow PM and quit or be impeached as France spirals into crisis amid fears nationwide strikes will become 'day of insurrection'

Called 'Let's block everything', the general strike is expected to bring together some 100,000 people who will walk out of the office, boycott businesses, stage sit-ins and blockade streets.

Politics