21 h. ago Trump administration accuses UK of failing to uphold human rights

US state department says Labour government ‘repeatedly intervened to chill speech’ online after Southport attackThe Trump administration has accused the UK of backsliding on human rights over the past year, citing antisemitic violence and “serious restrictions” on free speech.The annual US state department assessment, which analyses human rights conditions worldwide, highlighted laws limiting speech around abortion clinics, as well as the way government officials “repeatedly intervened to chill speech” online after the 2024 Southport attack. Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago Canada wildfire season already second worst on record as experts warn of ‘new reality’

More than 470 Canadian fires classified as ‘out of control’ as scientists say climate change exacerbating the burningWith hundreds of wildfires burning out of control, Canada’s 2025 fire season is already the second-worst on record, as scientists report climate change is prolonging and exacerbating the burning, leading to more destruction, evacuations and smoke-filled skies.More than 470 fires across the country are currently classified as “out of control”, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). Continue reading...

Events

62 h. ago WA’s ‘longest and most intense’ marine heatwave killed coral across 1,500km stretch

Scientists shocked by bleaching event that hit reefs from the world heritage-listed Ningaloo to the remote Ashmore ReefGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereThe “longest, largest and most intense” marine heatwave ever recorded in Western Australia has killed coral throughout an area that stretches 1,500km, according to state and federal scientists. More than 100 scientists and marine managers will gather in Perth on Tuesday for a special meeting to discuss the devastating event that bleached and killed corals on remote reefs earlier this year.The marine heatwave that hit reefs from the world heritage-listed Ningaloo to the remote Ashmore Reef left many scientists shocked. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago The Guardian view on attacking the ECHR: the real target is judicial independence and the rule of law | Editorial

The populist right sees the European convention as a soft target in a longer campaign to degrade democratic checks and balancesMost British citizens have little contact with human rights law, which is as it should be in a mature democracy. Widespread anxiety about basic freedoms is a feature of more repressive regimes.Many people will only have heard of the European convention on human rights (ECHR) in the context of the last Conservative government’s failed attempts to dispatch asylum seekers to Rwanda, or in a handful of incidents where convicted criminals or terrorist suspects have avoided deportation to jurisdictions where they might face inhumane treatment. Such cases are amplified by politicians who are hostile to the whole apparatus of human rights law. The Strasbourg court that adjudicates on breaches of the ECHR is denounced as an enemy of British sovereignty. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago ‘We’ve begun oil spill response training’: Patagonia prepares for the largest crude oil export port in Argentina

Wildlife experts warn huge facility on the Valdés peninsula in Patagonia could be devastating for ‘a treasure chest of wildlife’The rocky crevices of the Valdés peninsula and the pristine waters of the San Matías Gulf, on the Atlantic coast of Argentinian Patagonia, are a remote sanctuary for marine life, where protected southern right whales breed, orcas hunt and thousands of penguins and sea lions flourish.“It’s a treasure chest of wildlife – a breathtaking, untouched place,” says María Leoní Gaffet, a local wildlife expert and co-director of Península Valdés Orca Research. “It’s unique in the world.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Robots could build human cities on Mars by remote control, scientists say

New tests have shown experts could operate the robots from an orbiting space station, with an astronaut having already taken control of three of them

Politics