98 m. ago Tax hikes will ‘devastate’ London’s live music venues and raise ticket prices, warns O2 boss

Tax changes could result in higher ticket prices, fewer concerts and some grassroots music venues closing down, with London particularly vulnerable

Events

5 h. ago Photos of the first New York City mayoral debate between Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa

New York mayoral candidates faced off in their first debate as voters prepare to choose the next person to lead America’s biggest city.

Culture

6 h. ago Mamdani and Cuomo spar in New York mayoral debate – US politics live

Candidates debate Trump, Gaza and New York-specific issues, while John Bolton indicted by federal grand juryFormer Trump adviser John Bolton indicted on 18 countsA reminder that my colleagues are covering the latest developments out of the Middle East, as Israel and Hamas continue to carry out various aspects of the US brokered ceasefire deal.This includes the news today that Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza, bringing the total number handed over to 120, according the Gaza health ministry and Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago Former Trump adviser John Bolton indicted by justice department

Former national security adviser was charged with 18 counts of mishandling classified documentsUS politics live – latest updatesA federal grand jury has indicted John Bolton, the former national security adviser in Donald Trump’s first term, on charges of mishandling and transmitting classified information.The indictment, filed in Maryland, appears to ultimately have been signed off on from career prosecutors in the US attorney’s office there despite initial reluctance to bring a case before the end of the year. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Warning new tax plan will ‘devastate’ London’s live music venues resulting in ticket price hikes and closures

Tax changes could result in higher ticket prices, fewer concerts and some grassroots music venues closing down, with London particularly vulnerable

Events

19 h. ago MI5 chief ‘frustrated’ at failure to put men accused of spying for China on trial

Ken McCallum, the domestic spy chief, says he will ‘never back off’ from confronting threats from BeijingUK politics live – latest updatesThe MI5 director general, Ken McCallum, has acknowledged his frustration at the failure to put on trial two Britons who had been accused of spying for China, in an apparent rebuke to prosecutors who dropped the high-profile case last month.The domestic spy chief insisted he would “never back off” from confronting threats from Beijing, which he said posed a national security threat “every day”, although the wider UK-China relationship was a matter for the government. Continue reading...

Events

20 h. ago UK ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows

Lobbyists attended 48% more meetings than Tories, as Labour accused of giving them ‘backstage pass’ UK politics live – latest updatesGovernment ministers met representatives from the fossil fuel industry more than 500 times during their first year in power – equivalent to twice every working day, according to new research.The analysis found that fossil fuel lobbyists were present at 48% more ministerial meetings during Labour’s first year in power than under the Conservatives in 2023.Ministers at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) met fossil fuel lobbyists 274 times, with industry figures present at almost a quarter of meetings.Ed Miliband, the secretary for energy and climate change, met fossil fuel lobbyists 250 times – with a third of all his meetings attended by industry figures.During the same period DESNZ ministers met trade union representatives 61 timesThree fossil fuel companies: BP, Shell and Equinor , met ministers 100 times between them.Fossil fuel l...

Politics

20 h. ago Labour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows

Lobbyists attended 48% more meetings than Tories, as Labour accused of giving them ‘backstage pass’ UK politics live – latest updatesGovernment ministers met representatives from the fossil fuel industry more than 500 times during their first year in power – equivalent to twice every working day, according to research.The analysis found that fossil fuel lobbyists were present at 48% more ministerial meetings during Labour’s first year in power than under the Conservatives in 2023.Ministers at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) met fossil fuel lobbyists 274 times, with industry figures present at almost a quarter of meetings.During the same period DESNZ ministers met trade union representatives 61 times.Ed Miliband, the secretary for energy and climate change, met fossil fuel lobbyists 250 times – with a third of all his meetings attended by industry figures.Three fossil fuel companies: BP, Shell and Equinor, met ministers 100 times between them.Fossil fuel lobby...

Politics

30 h. ago JD Vance calls Republican operatives, aged 24 to 35, who wrote racist texts ‘kids’ – follow live

Vice-president further said media was paying too much attention to ‘what a bunch of kids say in a group chat’The far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is further distancing herself from her fellow Republicans and accusing men in her party of being “weak”.In an interview with the Washington Post, Greene expressed her frustrations with Republicans, signaling her further deviation from the political strategies of her party, as the government shutdown beginning 1 October was slated to enter its third week. Continue reading...

Politics

35 h. ago Trump says US looking at land attacks in Venezuela after lethal strikes on boats – live

Trump also claims without evidence that every US strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat saves thousands of lives The far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is further distancing herself from her fellow Republicans and accusing men in her party of being “weak”.In an interview with the Washington Post, Greene expressed her frustrations with Republicans, signaling her further deviation from the political strategies of her party, as the government shutdown beginning 1 October was slated to enter its third week. Continue reading...

Events

36 h. ago Federal judge temporarily blocks mass layoffs as Trump official estimates 10,000 could be affected – live

Judge Susan Illston says administration has ‘taken advantage of lapse in government functioning’; Russell Vought says his office wants to be ‘very aggressive in shuttering bureaucracy’Full report: judge temporarily blocks firings by Trump administration during shutdownThe far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is further distancing herself from her fellow Republicans and accusing men in her party of being “weak”.In an interview with the Washington Post, Greene expressed her frustrations with Republicans, signaling her further deviation from the political strategies of her party, as the government shutdown beginning 1 October was slated to enter its third week. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago Federal judge says she’s ‘inclined’ to block mass layoffs as Trump official estimates 10,000 could be affected – live

Judge Susan Illston says administration has ‘taken advantage of lapse in government functioning’; Russell Vought says his office wants to be ‘very aggressive in shuttering bureaucracy’The far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is further distancing herself from her fellow Republicans and accusing men in her party of being “weak”.In an interview with the Washington Post, Greene expressed her frustrations with Republicans, signaling her further deviation from the political strategies of her party, as the government shutdown beginning 1 October was slated to enter its third week. Continue reading...

Politics

38 h. ago US supreme court appears poised to weaken key pillar of Voting Rights Act

Dispute over Louisiana district returned to justices after long legal saga – and could have far-reaching implicationsA 160-year-old campaign against civil rights heads to the supreme courtUS politics live – latest updatesThe conservative majority on the US supreme court appeared poised to weaken a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act after a lengthy oral argument on Wednesday.“This court’s cases in a variety of contexts have said that race-based remedies are permissible for a period of time. Sometimes for a long period of time, decades in some cases, but they should not be indefinite and should have an endpoint. What exactly do you think that endpoint should be?” asked Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a key swing vote in the case, to Janai Nelson, a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, who was defending the maps. Continue reading...

Events

39 h. ago Conservative supreme court justices appear skeptical of key provision of Voting Rights Act – live

Conservative justices appear sympathetic to the argument that new Louisiana congressional maps that added majority-Black district violate the constitutionThe far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is further distancing herself from her fellow Republicans and accusing men in her party of being “weak”.In an interview with the Washington Post, Greene expressed her frustrations with Republicans, signaling her further deviation from the political strategies of her party, as the government shutdown beginning 1 October was slated to enter its third week. Continue reading...

Society

40 h. ago Supreme court hears Voting Rights Act challenge that could affect control of Congress – US politics live

GOP seeking to have section 2, designed to prevent discrimination in voting, declared unconstitutional as battles around redistricting take place across nationThe far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is further distancing herself from her fellow Republicans and accusing men in her party of being “weak”.In an interview with the Washington Post, Greene expressed her frustrations with Republicans, signaling her further deviation from the political strategies of her party, as the government shutdown beginning 1 October was slated to enter its third week. Continue reading...

Politics

44 h. ago PMQs LIVE: Kemi Badenoch's 'lawyer' insult spectacularly backfires in tense row with Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer is facing Tory leader Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions where they have engaged in a testy exchange over the collapse of the China spy case

Society

56 h. ago US Senate again rejects Republican plan to end government shutdown

Eighth Senate vote fails on 49-45 tally as Congress remains deadlocked on legislation amid now two-week shutdownUS politics live – latest updatesCongress remained deadlocked on legislation to reopen the federal government, as the US Senate on Tuesday again rejected a Republican plan to end the government shutdown that began two weeks ago.The eighth Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would fund government operations through 21 November failed on a 49-45 tally – far short of the 60 needed for advancement in the chamber. In a sign that that there has been little if any progress toward ending the stalemate, no senators changed their votes from the last time the measure was brought to the floor, though there were a handful of absences. Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Charlie Kirk’s widow accepts Presidential Medal of Freedom on his behalf following Trump’s self

Erika Kirk thanked President Donald Trump for honoring Charlie Kirk in ‘such a profound and meaningful way’

Politics

58 h. ago Trump praises self as much as Charlie Kirk as he awards Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously: Live updates

Trump will posthumously award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom later Tuesday

Politics

59 h. ago Trump says list of ‘Democrat programs’ to be released on Friday as shutdown drags into third week – live

President says programs to be cut are ‘never going to come back’ as Congress remains at an impasse on stopgap funding bill to reopen governmentJohnson says ‘I don’t have anything to negotiate’ as US shutdown drags onChina has hit back at accusations from the US that it is trying to hurt the world economy, as the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies appeared to re-escalate, amped up by aggressive rhetoric on both sides.China’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday that the US was “threatening to intimidate” with the prospect of new tariffs on Chinese exports, “which is not the right way to get along with China”. Its spokesperson said that China would “fight to the end” in trade talks. Continue reading...

Politics