The Voice Reveal

Ads promoting the president have cost more than $12m and his Super Pac has refused to reimburse taxpayers Sign up to The Stakes 2026: your weekly guide to the US midterms The Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration in federal court on Wednesday, asking a judge in Washington to stop the president from using taxpayer funds to air a series of ads promoting himself, arguing that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda. The ads promoting Donald Trump, including one recycled from his 2024 presidential campaign , have cost taxpayers more than $12m so far, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/huBAsSg via IFTTT

Director Paloma Schneideman explores issues of consent and queerness in coming-of-age film set in New Zealand In Big Girls Don’t Cry, the New Zealand coming-of-age film quietly devastating film festivals, there is a scene on a moonlit beach. It features the main character, Sid, played by Ani Palmer, and one of the cool older city boys who has come to the small, golden-sand town of Ōmaha for the summer. It is a deeply relatable, deeply uncomfortable watch; reliving the teenage negotiation – or not – of consent feels unsettling and validating. “Yeah, an 18-year-old at the screening last night said, ‘I feel so seen and exposed,” director and writer Paloma Schneideman, 34, says. “I was like, whoa, that’s quite an astute way to think about it. One is cathartic and healing, and the other is quite confronting.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jXEyKTC via IFTTT

Party’s pledge to reduce aid budget from £9bn a year to £1bn to fund new prison places branded as ‘posturing’ Conservative plans to slash the aid budget by 90% would leave the UK unable to cover existing contributions to the UN and World Bank and “irreparably damage” Britain’s global credibility, several organisations and charities have told the Guardian. In a series of announcements at the Tory party conference in Birmingham, Kemi Badenoch said that as prime minister she would reduce the aid budget from £9bn a year to £1bn, to part-fund 50,000 new prison places in England and Wales. The culture budget would also be slashed by £1bn a year to fund the plans. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AxUvHaX via IFTTT

Company executive to acknowledge ‘more work to do to rebuild trust with the Australian people’ as ABC says copyright laws do not need changing Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast OpenAI will use an appearance before a parliamentary committee to apologise again to Australia about the hack on Medicare last month, on the same day media and entertainment organisations argue weakening Australian copyright law for AI model training would leave artists as “roadkill”. Ahead of an appearance before the joint parliamentary committee hearing on artificial intelligence in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, OpenAI released its opening statement in which the company apologises for its AI agents attacking a number of Australian government websites in June . The multibillion-dollar company notified the government via an email to a public-facing address three months after the breach. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/64OjW8k via IFTTT

Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds more than 150,000 tonnes of fuel was shipped to Russian ports in July and August, some using sanctioned tankers Oil is being shipped from South Korea to Russia via sanctioned tankers as Moscow scrambles for supplies amid the war in Ukraine, a move one expert said “undermines” Seoul’s public backing for Kyiv. Guardian analysis of port records and ship-tracking data found that in July and August over 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, was loaded at several South Korean ports on to seven tankers that made 14 voyages to Russia’s far east. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/58wISHx via IFTTT

Calls for release of six Matsadaash staff after one is charged, while whereabouts of other five remain unknown An Egyptian journalist has been charged with joining a terrorist group, days after an entire newsroom was detained in what rights groups have said is a crackdown on press freedoms. Last week, authorities arrested six journalists from the independent fact-checking and investigative platform Matsadaash – literally meaning “don’t believe” – accusing them in a statement of being unlicensed and publishing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lvw5Y8s via IFTTT

Critics say scrapping of plans, which aimed to increase judge-alone trials to deliver swifter justice, leaves court system and victims vulnerable Ministers have scrapped plans that would have slashed the number of jury trials in England and Wales and replaced them with a judge sitting alone. The proposals had sparked a fierce backlash from lawyers , who have welcomed the U-turn. But the victims’ commissioner expressed concern about the abandonment of measures drawn up by the then justice secretary, David Lammy, under Keir Starmer’s government, to tackle the record backlog in the courts. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ajrMJT4 via IFTTT

They are the support base for non-nationalist parties but are voting with their feet and not on ballot papers On a perfect October morning in Sarajevo, the motivation for young people to be leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina in droves is not immediately apparent. The country’s capital is basking in the autumn sunshine and the pavement cafes in the shadow of the Sacred Heart Cathedral are packed. People lingering over coffee and cigarettes mix peacefully with the Swedish football fans in town for their team’s Nations League match. But Sarajevo’s many charms have not been enough to keep young people in Bosnia. One local organisation that tracks emigration estimated that more than 600,000 people had left the country in the decade after the 2013 census, when the official population was 3.5 million. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LHcZ4bo via IFTTT

Sneak preview shown in video after pieces revealed over past week Cockatoo-inspired emblem to be officially unveiled on Monday The Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics emblems have been accidentally leaked by the Games’ official YouTube channel, three days before its own big reveal. Pieces of the puzzle had been revealed across Queensland over the past week with the full logos to come together during an official unveiling on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gwn51DF via IFTTT

The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, once belonged to Conrad Hilton and was sold at foreclosure auction The tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been revealed as the new owner of a storied Bel-Air estate that quietly sold in July for a staggering $130m. The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, was sold at an open-air foreclosure auction in Pomona, with the name of the buyer kept under wraps for months. The winning bid is now revealed to have come from a limited liability company linked to the venture capitalist and PayPal and Palantir co-founder, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the buyer’s identity . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qBWxoUS via IFTTT

Wyndham’s theatre, London Grant brings shock-haired vigour as a vain novelist forced to welcome his boho children’s surprise guests in comedy of clipped social embarrassment Hay Fever, now one of Noël Coward’s best-known and most-performed works, hasn’t always been a smash hit. British critics who found its West End debut in 1925 amusing enough nevertheless noted its lack of plot, and the first Broadway production was a flop. A critic for Vogue called it “funny in places”, which sounds like the kind of stinging putdown you’d expect from the playwright’s own hand. A century of performances have proved the play’s lasting power, but its comic effect has always lain less in the words as written than their delivery – it is, after all, about a family that is “artificial to the point of lunacy”. At their centre is diva Judith Bliss, who has retired from the stage to take up the role of country hostess. When she, her husband and their self-consciously bohemian childre...

Portugal pull away to 4-2 win in Denmark Jürgen Klopp’s Germany beat Serbia 2-0 Portugal maintained their perfect start to Nations League Group A4 as Jorge Jesus’s squad showed little signs of missing Cristiano Ronaldo with a 4-2 victory over Denmark in Copenhagen. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward and five-time Ballon d’Or winner left the camp before the match amid reports of a falling out with Jesus , his former club manager, having been left on the bench throughout a victory in Norway. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jfIJg45 via IFTTT

Pike, sentenced to death over 1995 murder, had been granted stay of execution earlier on Wednesday The US supreme court is allowing Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in 200 years to go forward, vacating a last-minute stay issued by a lower court earlier in the day. Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder 30 years ago, was initially scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday morning until her execution was halted hours earlier by a federal appeals court. In a 2-1 ruling, that court said the delay was necessary to assess whether Pike’s allegations of childhood sexual abuse were fully considered at her sentencing. The state governor and the supreme court had earlier refused calls for clemency. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/GqUpP4Z via IFTTT

‘Yellow 2120’ has been driven out of other Altadena neighborhood crawlspaces, but he just keeps coming back He’s back: the 550lb bear made famous after he took up residence under an Altadena home in November 2025 is wandering the Los Angeles neighborhood again after he moved in and out of the crawlspace of another home. “Yellow 2120”, as the black bear has been tagged, was spotted in the crawlspace of a home on Minoru Drive on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BcAr938 via IFTTT

Former captain says losses can benefit team next year Johnson refuses to comment on Henry Pollock hype Martin Johnson believes England’s most painful defeats under Steve Borthwick can benefit them at the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year. England endured some disastrous moments during the Six Nations this year, most notably the 42-21 defeat by Ireland at Twickenham , and finished the tournament with a solitary win against Wales. Summer Nations Championship fixtures began with an away defeat by the world champions, South Africa, before victories against Fiji and Argentina. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZxpmFYK via IFTTT

Lawyers for Christa Pike, 50, convicted of killing classmate in Knoxville in 1995, ask supreme court to grant stay Christa Pike was 18 when she killed a classmate in a jealous rage and became one of the youngest women to be sent to death row. Now 50, she is scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday in what would be Tennessee’s first execution of a woman in 200 years. Pike and her boyfriend were convicted in the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, their classmate at Knoxville Job Corps. Prosecutors said Pike feared Slemmer was a romantic rival and lured her to a secluded area where she and her boyfriend tortured and killed Slemmer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EfdsLhW via IFTTT

The new AI agent, Muse, was released last week and has been downloaded by 3 million users When Usman asked if a keyboard for sale on Facebook Marketplace was still available on Saturday, he received an enthusiastic and immediate response. “Yep still available!” wrote Matt Robb. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/J3t9KB1 via IFTTT

Footage shows multiple sharks, including a five-metre great white, swimming near a large, smelly whale carcass that washed ashore at a popular Western Australia beach, drawing hundreds of onlookers. Surf lifesavers found the dead animal at Perth’s City beach at about 7.30am on Monday and raised the alarm. Local authorities closed the beach for several kilometres in each direction of the carcass, which appeared to be about six metres long After a dead whale washed up at a Perth beach, some took selfies. Others held their nose from the stench Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AMpC7Sd via IFTTT

British Museum, London The staggering resourcefulness and fantastic originality of bygone artisans is showcased in earthenware so exquisite it will soothe your soul. But a lurch into the modern breaks the spell Can they do it again? The runaway success of the Bayeux tapestry has put the British Museum in a league of its own, perhaps making it, at this moment, the leading museum on earth – and it’s rapidly following up with Korea, a survey of “2,000 years of creativity” in a land that, before its sufferings in the 20th century, enjoyed millennia of calm, at least to judge from its art. But it’s a blockbuster with a tragic flaw, a lovely broken vase badly stuck together. You are lured at first into a nirvana of beauty. A giant bronze bell from a Buddhist monastery, cast in the eighth century AD and bulging with dragons, flames and flowery embossments, strikes the tone. It calls you to meditation. A gong adds to the harmony (and if you need that underlining, there are bells and gongs on ...

US president doubles down on criticism of CNN and MS Now as Akayla Gardner questions attempted White House ban A day after the White House barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One to provide pool television coverage of the president’s trip to Tennessee, Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of that broadcaster and another, MS Now, he has attempted to ban over coverage of him he calls overly negative. As he left the White House early on Saturday, Trump was asked by MS Now White House correspondent Akayla Gardner: “Do you only want outlets that support you to be a part of the press pool?” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Rg10kcT via IFTTT

President using rare power to revoke expenditure with bipartisan approval to aid immigrant services Donald Trump is canceling nearly $1bn in spending approved by Congress, the White House announced on Friday, using a rare and contested power to axe funding for immigrant services and diversity-focused initiatives. Trump’s office of management and budget described the funding cut as focused on “the most harmful government spending”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/6cXmJkl via IFTTT

Europe lead Team World 3-1 after opening day Alcaraz wins doubles match with Jakub Mensik By the time Casper Ruud had completed his typically tenacious comeback to capture victory in the opening scuffle of this year’s Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz was on the floor. The Spaniard had worked harder than any other player on the sidelines as he repeatedly cheered, animated the crowd and offered a steady stream of thoughtful tactical advice to his teammate. He reacted to Ruud’s triumphant final smash with a jubilant scream, his legs dramatically giving way as he slid down his seat on to the ground. Alcaraz is well aware of his status as the leading star of this year’s event, and in his third Laver Cup outing, the seven-time grand slam champion at times practically took on the role of Europe’s third coach behind Yannick Noah and Tim Henman. This provided a number of insightful glimpses into the way he sees the sport. During one exchange with Ruud, Alcaraz suggested that the Norwegian should attem...

Xi Jinping’s visit heavy on symbolism but no sign closed-door meeting yielded breakthroughs on thorny issues such as AI, trade, Taiwan and Iran Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday, with talks on AI, trade and a growing US-China strategic rivalry expected to feature on an elaborate state visit that critics say went big on style but lacked substance. Here are the key takeaways from Xi’s first visit to Washington in more than a decade. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lnR90dv via IFTTT

Toshisuke Kanazawa has won 19 national crowns and insists there are more to come Toshisuke Kanazawa is reminiscing about his long and illustrious career when he pauses and makes an unusual offer: “Shall I take my top off now?” He strips to the waist to reveal a smooth, bronzed upper body, pecs that most men can only dream of, and cable-like veins extending the length of his arms – the result of countless hours in the gym. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/OExHjQ3 via IFTTT