Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election 03. August 2026 (20:45) Joshua Bonehill-Paine, creator of satirical Crewkerne Gazette, has convictions including harassment of a Jewish MPA former neo-Nazi activist with convictions including the harassment of a Jewish MP has been selected as a Conservative candidate for a local election in Somerset.Joshua Bonehill-Paine, the creator of the viral Crewkerne Gazette series of AI clips, is due to stand for election to Somerset council next year in a new Crewkerne South district. He told the Guardian he was an executive member of the Tories’ Yeovil branch, working as an events organiser. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rupert Lowe’s ‘olive branch’ to Farage piles more pressure on Reform leader 03. August 2026 (20:37) Restore leader has countered charges he’s splitting the right while showing his party is a very real obstacle for ReformEven by the standards of their rivalry, the speed at which Rupert Lowe’s olive branch to Nigel Farage morphed into fresh recriminations between the two was swift.It began with a softly lit 12-minute video posted on Sunday by the Restore Britain leader, looking straight to camera and referring to “Nigel” as he suggested his party could be willing to cast aside its differences with Reform UK and work together. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump meets his obstinate match in Iran’s hardball regime 03. August 2026 (20:27) US president reduced to bemoaning Tehran’s ‘unbelievable duplicity’ as he struggles to find solid negotiating groundMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe Donald Trump doctrine has always contained a tenuous relationship with the truth. It was his mentor, the infamous New York lawyer Roy Cohn, who taught the young real estate mogul always to claim victory and never to admit defeat. Unfortunately for Trump, in Iran the US president has found a counterpart just as stubborn as himself.As Trump claims new negotiations are to begin with Tehran this week, Iran has shown it can also reignite the conflict by lobbing ballistic missiles at US bases in the region and maintaining a stranglehold on the strait of Hormuz, effectively taking initiative in the stalled peace process. And time is of the essence for Trump as the clock ticks toward a global energy crisis and a painful midterm elections for him and his Republican party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Raging Washington state wildfires destroy homes and force 60,000 people to evacuate 03. August 2026 (20:23) Hundreds of structures damaged as firefighters battle to contain 15 major wildfires amid extreme heat and droughtFirefighters in Washington state are battling wildfires that have forced 60,000 people to flee and destroyed hundreds of buildings as drought and extreme heat fuel an “extraordinary” fire season in the Pacific north-west.Fifteen major blazes are raging across the state, David Upthegrove, the head of Washington’s department of natural resources, told reporters over the weekend. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republican holdouts say they will back Todd Blanche for attorney general 03. August 2026 (20:01) Move comes after Blanche gives senators written assurance he will drop Trump’s $1.8bn anti-weaponization fundTwo Republican senators who threatened to block Todd Blanche’s bid to permanently become US attorney general announced they will advance his nomination after he said in writing that a planned $1.8bn slush fund for Donald Trump’s allies was dead.The US Senate judiciary committee is due to vote on Tuesday on whether to approve the nomination of Blanche, who is already acting attorney general, and send it to the wider Senate for a vote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge orders return of alleged victim of trafficking sent to France under ‘one in one out’ scheme 03. August 2026 (19:52) Ruling quashes Home Office policy to refuse asylum seekers’ right to have trafficking claims reconsidered after initial rejectionA high court judge has ordered the Home Office to bring an alleged victim of trafficking forcibly removed to France under the “one in one out” scheme back to the UK.It is the first ruling of its kind and could lead to more people affected by the “one in one out” policy being brought back to the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Stronger EU borders needed after Ceuta crisis, von der Leyen says 03. August 2026 (19:44) European Commission president says work needed in five areas of migration control including returning more peopleThe president of the European Commission has called for action to strengthen Europe’s borders after tens of thousands of people arrived and quickly left the Spanish territory of Ceuta, triggering a furious row between Madrid and other European countries.In a letter to Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, on Monday, Ursula von der Leyen said: “From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points, including vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Apple launches legal challenge against UK government demand to access data 03. August 2026 (19:35) The Home Office has made a fresh request for ‘back door’ access to encrypted iCloud data belonging to British usersApple has launched a new legal challenge against a UK government demand to access its customers’ highly encrypted data, a year after the Home Office agreed to abandon its previous request.The US tech company launched the legal complaint last month at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court that has the power to investigate claims that the UK intelligence services have acted unlawfully. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Author of Democrats’ 2024 election autopsy report says chapter was left out 03. August 2026 (19:33) Paul Rivera says missing section included questions on Biden’s decision to run for re-election, the Times reportsThe author of an infamous internal Democrat party report on the 2024 presidential election loss has claimed that an entire section that included a discussion of generational wealth established by high-ranking elected officials was cut from the draft version leaked and later released earlier this summer.Paul Rivera, the author of the autopsy, told the New York Times that a section titled “What Happened in 2024” was missing from the published version but had been included in the version he personally handed to embattled party chairman, Ken Martin, in January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Farage admission over timing of Reform leadership talks raises fresh doubts over £5m gift 03. August 2026 (19:28) Nigel Farage admits he discussed returning as Reform leader months before election, appearing to undermine previous claimsNigel Farage has made his clearest admission that he was in talks to return to lead Reform UK months before the 2024 general election, casting fresh doubt on previous claims that he was not involved in politics when he received a £5m gift.The admission will reopen questions about the nature of the gift – Farage has repeatedly insisted it was not linked to his political career since the Guardian first revealed it in April. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
