The Voice Reveal

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

From his farm in Portugal, the acclaimed artist speaks about war, peace, the state of the world – and his 40 metre sculpture Mushrooms, on Sydney Harbour “It’s like a film set. Like it’s not real,” the bemused Uber driver says as we pass through a succession of silent rural villages washed with milky sunlight. He’s right: signs of human life are weirdly absent during our windy journey through the Alentejo. I’m making my way to Ai Weiwei’s secluded farm, nestled deep in the Portuguese countryside, where arguably the world’s best known living artist has quietly lived for the last six years. When I arrive, I am ushered inside a vast cathedral of a building, a replica of Ai’s erstwhile, and controversially demolished , studio in Shanghai. The space is cavernous. It’s gridded by huge wooden columns and its dizzyingly high ceilings are webbed with beams. There is no artwork on the walls, nor are there any obvious signs of production or activity. Continue reading... from The Guardian https...

Industry leaders call on government to protect homegrown produce in the interest of national security The gap between Britain’s food and drink exports and imports has neared its highest this century, as a combination of Brexit, war in the Middle East and US tariffs dented deliveries overseas while imports soared. The UK’s food and drink trade deficit has risen to more than £21bn – the largest since 2000 – in what industry leaders said was a “wake-up call” for the government to protect homegrown produce in the interest of national security. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/StxpliX via IFTTT

Hung Cao, acting US navy secretary, answered questions from US senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a letter Eight US navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group have attempted suicide since the start of their lengthy deployment as part of the US war on Iran, Hung Cao, the acting US navy secretary, revealed in a letter to the US senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday. “Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote, responding on behalf of US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to Gillibrand’s inquiry about the quality of life aboard the fleet. “This number includes the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/aoJQX17 via IFTTT

Prime minister says he told Sam Altman he was disappointed it had taken OpenAI ‘way too long’ to disclose breach Anthony Albanese says an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI hacked Medicare in June and the tech giant notified the government earlier this month using an email sent to a “public mailbox”. Australia’s prime minister made the comments at the UN summit in New York, saying it appeared no personal information had been accessed in the AI breach. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Zq6zmUE via IFTTT

38-year-old had been facing attempted murder charge Former player will accept aggravated assault charge Former NFL star Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an attempted murder charge in Miami, his lawyer said Wednesday. Doing so will mean the former wide receiver avoids prison. Brown is scheduled to appear in court next Wednesday to make the deal final. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the current attempted murder charge. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lS2yVDk via IFTTT

Meeting on sidelines of UN general assembly, Ukrainian leader says Kyiv open to deal not to attack energy targets if Russia agrees. What we know on day 1,673 Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed with Donald Trump on Tuesday efforts to end the 4-year-old war with Russia , ⁠including a potential bilateral ceasefire ​on energy-related targets. “We are ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire” if Russia agrees to “not attack our energy system,” Zelenskyy told journalists after meeting with Trump at the UN headquarters in New York. The Ukrainian leader expressed hope the “American side will find a way … to bring them to any kind of negotiations.” Zelenskyy said that he also was ready to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ​at a trilateral meeting with Trump. Trump insisted he was working with both sides to end the war, despite little evidence of Putin being open to any settlement . “It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” Trump said in his UN speech. E...

Oscar-winning film-maker Barry Levinson’s docuseries Bucks County, USA examines the political divide in one town in a revealing and infuriating manner Like many teenage best friends, Evi and Vanessa have a penchant for finishing each other’s sentences. Whether enmeshed on a couch or telling a story, one, a red-headed musical theater nerd with a personality nearly as boisterous as her signature puffy skirts, collides with the other, darker in hair and disposition, their speech bubbling with indecipherable affirmations and giggles. In a heady chorus of “duuude” and “no, you!”, it can be difficult to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. Except, that is, at their respective homes. Evi’s mother, Lela, who like her daughter, espouses views considered left of liberal in the US context, speaks in support of LGBTQ+ students at local school board meetings and advocates for fact-based history lessons. Vanessa’s father, Paul Martino, is a right-leaning venture capitalist who likes to bra...

IPPR North says one bad decision could derail devolution agenda as regions gain control of billions in funding England’s mayors should face much greater official scrutiny to avoid Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda being “derailed by one bad decision”, a thinktank has said. Ministers will set out plans next month to give regional leaders control over potentially billions of pounds of additional funding under a “transformational” shift of power outside Whitehall. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JjdCUXk via IFTTT

Lawyer tells hearing that families wish to know whether weaponry involved in deaths was made in Britain Israeli and UK military commanders could be requested to give evidence to an inquest concerning three British workers killed in Gaza when aid vehicles they were travelling in were hit by an airstrike. It is also possible that the inquest into the deaths of John Chapman, 57, Jim Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47 , may examine whether the weaponry that killed the men was made in the UK. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/knbighO via IFTTT

Remco Evenepoel dominates men’s event in Montreal Marlen Reusser denies Zoe Backstedt in women’s race Remco Evenepoel etched his name into the history books with a dominant fourth successive men’s world time-trial victory in Montreal on Sunday. The 2024 Olympic champion came into the race as the overwhelming favourite and he did not disappoint. Evenepoel was already more than 30 seconds ahead of the rest by the second intermediate time check, just over halfway along the 39.2km (24.4 mile) route. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EBWUA9g via IFTTT

An on-air helicopter crash killed journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, shaking LA’s news tradition The whir of news helicopters flying overhead has long been a familiar soundtrack to life in Los Angeles – and the footage they gather of high-speed chases, wildfires and celebrity sightings a fixture of local television. For nearly 70 years, Angelenos have gotten their news from “the eye in the sky” – from scenes of OJ Simpson’s fleeing white Bronco , the 1992 LA riots and even Madonna’s wedding to Sean Penn. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4C3T7lg via IFTTT

Tory leader claims prime minister is avoiding difficult decisions as she urges him to increase defence spending Kemi Badenoch has accused Andy Burnham of “fiddling while Europe is at risk of burning”, as she repeated her call for the prime minister to cut the welfare budget to fund increase spending on defence. Speaking to the Telegraph , the Tory leader said that “Burnham may be a people pleaser but difficult choices cannot be avoided through dither and delay”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iSZgVfv via IFTTT

Locals describe their shock at witnessing the incident at Sorrento beach on Friday morning Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A 63-year-old man has died after being bitten by a shark off Sorrento beach in Perth’s north. Emergency services were called to the popular beach at about 10.30am on Friday after reports of a shark-related incident. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MoxBOsD via IFTTT

Ruling comes amid demolition threats by Donald Trump after being stymied from adding his name to centre A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to give at least 30 days’ notice before moving to demolish the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after the US president warned that it could be “ripped down”. The US district judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Thursday after lawyers for the Democratic congresswoman Joyce Beatty submitted evidence of Trump’s comments and sought clarification over whether the building could be closed or bulldozed. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Kt1ziUR via IFTTT

Spurs and Villa meet in desperation derby and Andoni Iraola faces test on south-coast return Premier League top scorers: check the latest standings Chelsea have not won this west London derby since Brentford’s first Premier League season. Each visit since October 2021’s 1-0 win , Ben Chilwell the scorer, has been a draw. This season has continued the divergence between the clubs’ respective approaches, Brentford’s solidity and continuity compared to Chelsea attempting their latest reboot. Kevin Schade, after two well-taken goals at Bournemouth, will fancy facing a defence not yet attuned to Xabi Alonso’s configurations. Only one team has won a Premier League title with a defensive trio: Chelsea’s last title team, in 2016-17 under Antonio Conte. Alonso’s attack has been rather more successful, presenting another challenge for Jannik Schuster. Replacing Nathan Collins, the 20-year-old central defender had a tough examination from Bournemouth’s Evanilson on his first Premier League start ...

Inquiry uncovered missed opportunities and failures by New Zealand police and government agencies that could have avoided four-year hunt A major public inquiry into the disappearance of fugitive father Tom Phillips, who hid in New Zealand’s wilderness for nearly four years with his three children, has found authorities played down the harms he inflicted on his children, and did not do enough to protect them. Taking his children, of whom he did not have legal custody, Phillips disappeared into the rugged North Island wilderness in 2021. That disappearance was preempted by an earlier, shorter stint where Phillips went bush with his son and two daughters, aged five, seven and eight at the time. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bV9ditW via IFTTT

American chair Boehly leaves role after deal is secured ‘I am confident that Chelsea is well positioned’ Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes in Chelsea in a deal under which Clearlake Capital takes full control of the Premier League club. The American billionaire businessmen Boehly and Walter were two of the investors who partnered with Clearlake to buy the club from Roman Abramovich in a sale mandated by the UK government in May 2022. The private equity company Clearlake had previously owned 61.5% of the club, with Boehly and Walter carving up the remaining shares with another investor, Hansjörg Wyss. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dMDAlNU via IFTTT

Intelligence services allegedly attempted to pay people to surveil and kill people perceived to be aligned with Ukraine Russia’s intelligence services are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the United States and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said Tuesday as they announced charges against five people who remain at large. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court said a network of the intelligence services had paid and attempted to pay individuals in the United States and in other countries to surveil targets to be killed with plans to then kill them. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lPIx1ni via IFTTT

More than a million people have left work to look after loved ones in the past two years, Carers UK says About 1,500 Britons a day are quitting their jobs to become unpaid carers, as they try to balance their vulnerable relatives’ growing care needs with declining access to state-funded social care services. Research estimates that more than a million people have left the workplace to look after ageing, ill and disabled loved ones in the past two years, highlighting the social challenges caused by UK’s rapidly changing demographic profile. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/junsH4m via IFTTT

Comprised of smelly soya beans held together by strands of mucus, the ancient dish is appearing in health food shops across the world It is smelly, slimy and contains bacteria – and a sizeable number of Japanese wouldn’t touch it with a pair of barge pole-length chopsticks. But after centuries as a breakfast food for Japanese diners with nerves of steel, natto is emerging as a global superfood to rival kimchi , kombucha and kefir . Its exact origins are unknown. Some believe it was introduced to Japan from China by Buddhist monks during the Yayoi period (300BC-AD300), before becoming a staple among rural communities during the Edo period (1603-1868). Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xIQbCOe via IFTTT