7 h. ago Keir Starmer facing calls to 'stand up for Britain' after Trump vows to sue BBC for up to $5billion in taxpayers' money

The BBC has apologised but declined to pay Trump damages, setting the scene for a high-profile legal showdown. Trump said he planned to call Sir Keir this weekend and talk to him about the issue.

Economics

24 h. ago Orbán’s claims of Trump summit triumph mask growing doubts over his grip on power

Embattled Hungarian leader says he won an indefinite reprieve from sanctions on oil and gas from Russia, but the US has since disputed thisAs Viktor Orbán would tell it, he had the perfect meeting with Donald Trump.After visiting the White House last week, the embattled Hungarian prime minister quickly declared victory, saying he had secured an indefinite exemption from US sanctions on oil and gas imported from Russia. The deal would shield Hungarians from skyrocketing energy prices ahead of parliamentary elections next year and potentially boost Orbán’s chances of extending his 15-year rule. Continue reading...

Politics

41 h. ago How a Texas shrimper stalled Exxon’s $10bn plastics plant | Shilpi Chhotray

Diane Wilson recognized Exxon’s playbook – and showed how local people can take on even the most entrenched industriesWhen ExxonMobil announced it would “slow the pace of development” on a $10bn plastics plant along the Texas Gulf coast, the company blamed market conditions. But it wasn’t just the market applying pressure; it was a 77-year-old shrimper named Diane Wilson who refused to stay silent. Her fight exposes big oil’s latest survival plan: ramping up oil and gas production to create plastic.I first met Wilson back in 2019 while tracking her historic lawsuit against Formosa Plastics, the Taiwanese petrochemical giant accused of dumping toxic plastic waste throughout coastal Texas. Billions of tiny plastic pellets were contaminating waterways, shorelines, and even the soil itself.Shilpi Chhotray is the co-founder and president of Counterstream Media and Host of A People’s Climate for the Nation Continue reading...

Economics

49 h. ago Once a global leader on climate action, the EU has given in to the right’s green

From deforestation to emissions trading, vital policies are being watered down in the name of ‘competitiveness’. But Europe is shooting itself in the footClimate action has long been a flagship European policy. As negotiators gather in Brazil for Cop30, however, Europe’s leadership risks faltering. Things were very different a decade ago in Paris, when a landmark deal to limit global heating to 1.5C was achieved at Cop21. That agreement relied on an understanding between the US and China – one that would be difficult to replicate today. Its ambition was elevated by Europe acting in concert with a broad coalition of global south countries.The Paris climate agreement paved the way for the European Green Deal in 2019, which enshrined into law the ambition of climate neutrality in the EU by 2050 and introduced the world’s first comprehensive plan to achieve it, featuring a robust set of pricing, regulatory and funding measures.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue readi...

Politics

54 h. ago Reeves urged to cut windfall tax and not ‘sacrifice’ oil and gas workers

The Chancellor is due to deliver her budget later this month.

Economics

65 h. ago Despite America’s absence, Trump’s influence looms large over Cop30

In this week’s newsletter: Fear of retribution from the unpredictable president has left climate summit negotiators feeling nervous and vulnerable• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereUnder Donald Trump, America has not only jettisoned any effort to deal with the climate crisis, but has also attempted to stymie moves by other nations to shift to cleaner forms of energy, such as solar and wind.The climate crisis is “the greatest con job perpetrated by the world”, Trump told the UN in September, urging other governments to stick to oil and gas (preferably drilled in the US, of course) and ditch the “scam” of renewable energy.World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report findsFossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn peopleChina’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis findsCalifornia governor calls Trump ‘an invasive species’ at Cop30 climate talksTussles break out between protesters an...

Politics

3 d. ago Brexit leaves UK 'more at risk' after rejecting EU demand to join £150 billion defence fund, says SNP

The EU had demanded that the UK cough up the money to be given access to the £150bn Security Action for Europe (SAFE) fund.

Economics

3 d. ago Starmer's last stand? PM clings to chief aide Morgan McSweeney despite Labour demands for sackings over No 10's 'unacceptable' attacks on Cabinet

Just a fortnight before a crucial Budget, Keir Starmer has been plunged deeper into chaos  by an extraordinary pre-emptive strike on plotters.

Events

3 d. ago Starmer's last stand? PM clings to chief aide Morgan McSweeney' despite Labour demands for sackings over No10's 'unacceptable' attacks on Cabinet

Just a fortnight before a crucial Budget, Keir Starmer has been plunged deeper into chaos  by an extraordinary pre-emptive strike on plotters.

Events

3 d. ago The EU invited Ukraine to join the club, but will it ever happen?

Zelenskyy wants admission before 2030, but with a growing far-right, anti-enlargement contingent and budgetary fears mounting, some countries are hiding behind a Hungarian veto• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereVolodymyr Zelenskyy may be a wartime leader, but he is fighting to deliver peacetime ambitions, too: he wants Ukraine to become an EU country – soon.Ukraine’s tireless president is ramping up pressure on EU governments to accelerate the slow process of joining: he sees the collective sacrifice of his people as a struggle “for the Ukrainian future, the future of Ukraine in the European Union”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Prime Minister Keir Starmer vows to look into closure of Welsh town's last bank

Lloyds, the last remaining bank in Pontardawe, is set to close on November 20

Politics

3 d. ago Keir Starmer vows to 'always stand up' for the BBC as he defends broadcaster amid Donald Trump row

The Prime Minister told MPs he was 'a strong supporter' of the BBC and said the 'argument for an impartial British news service is stronger than ever'.

Politics

3 d. ago Humiliated Starmer admits No10 briefing war against Cabinet minister is 'unacceptable' as he dodges on demands to SACK chief aide Morgan McSweeney

Keir Starmer supporters made clear he will fight any leadership challenge in an extraordinary pre-emptive strike on plotters.

Politics

3 d. ago Streeting dares Starmer to SACK No10 aides behind frantic 'Traitors' coup briefing as Labour implodes ahead of PMQs showdown

Keir Starmer supporters made clear he will fight any leadership challenge in an extraordinary pre-emptive strike on plotters.

Politics

3 d. ago Labour's 'Traitors plot to topple Keir': Paranoid PM fights to uncover double

Keir Starmer supporters made clear he will fight any leadership challenge in an extraordinary pre-emptive strike on plotters.

Politics

3 d. ago Fossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn people

Exclusive: ‘Deep-rooted injustices’ affect billions of people due to location of wells, pipelines and other infrastructureA quarter of the world’s population lives within three miles (5km) of operational fossil fuel projects, potentially threatening the health of more than 2 billion people as well as critical ecosystems, according to first-of-its-kind research.A damning new report by Amnesty International, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that more than 18,300 oil, gas and coal sites are currently distributed across 170 countries worldwide, occupying a vast area of the Earth’s surface. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Oil and gas demand to rise for 25 years without global change of course, says IEA

International energy watchdog sets out new pessimistic scenario to reflect fading commitment to climate change

Politics

4 d. ago Starmer vows to fight on as Streeting’s allies deny leadership challenge

Party’s MPs grow frustrated with prime minister’s leadership as crucial Budget nears

Politics

4 d. ago Trump administration planning to allow oil and gas drilling off California coast

Plan, which Gavin Newsom, the governor, has said would be ‘dead on arrival’, will allow six lease sales from 2027 to 2030The Trump administration is planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the California coast for the first time in decades, according to a draft plan shared with the Washington Post.The move is guaranteed to set up a battle with the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a staunch opponent of offshore drilling. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago As climate alarmism fades, SNP must come clean about its stance on oil and gas

Just as Scotland stopped burning witches, it’s time to end the persecution of oil and gas workers

Society