‘I am a political prisoner’: Mahmoud Khalil says he’s being targeted for political beliefs | Trump administration

In his first public remarks since being detained by federal immigration authorities, Palestinian activist and recent Columbia graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, spoke out against the conditions facing immigrants in US detention and said he was being targeted by the Trump administration for his political beliefs. “I am a political prisoner,” he said in a statement provided … Read more

Nasa-SpaceX mission live: stranded US astronauts on way back to Earth after nine months | Nasa

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Richard Luscombe The astronauts’ extended stay on the ISS became an opportunity for some political mischief, with Elon Musk, the SpaceX founder and Donald Trump acolyte, insisting without evidence they were “abandoned” in space by the Biden administration. Trump, in turn, … Read more

Sponsors drop San Francisco Pride as festival decries ‘rights backtracking’ | San Francisco

San Francisco Pride, one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the world, has reportedly lost significant funding as major corporate sponsors – some who supported the festivities for years – have pulled out of the event. Four companies, which include Comcast and Anheuser-Busch, among others, and provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding, told … Read more

Liz Kendall struggles to sell ‘immoral and devastating’ disability benefits cut | Benefits

The disability benefit reforms statement issued by the welfare secretary, Liz Kendall alongside £5bn of cuts felt like Labour’s latest attempt to answer the question that seems to come up every time it tackles a thorny social policy issue and deliver bad news. Namely: how is this different from life under the Tories? Kendall tried … Read more

Netanyahu banks on political dividends as he restarts Gaza war | Israel-Gaza war

As the ceasefire in Gaza extended from days into weeks, and newly freed hostages began sharing grim details of their captivity, Benjamin Netanyahu’s political room for manoeuvre seemed to shrink. He was caught between the far-right parties propping up his government, keen to return to war in Gaza, and the majority of Israelis who prioritised … Read more

Russia will ‘undoubtedly’ discuss future Mars flights with Musk, Putin envoy says | Russia

Russian officials expect to hold talks with Elon Musk soon about space travel to Mars, Vladimir Putin’s international cooperation envoy said on Tuesday. The envoy’s comments, which Musk has not confirmed, also stated that Russia wanted to expand its cooperation with the US on space projects. “I think that there will undoubtedly be a discussion … Read more

Semisonic denounces White House use of ‘Closing Time’ in deportation video | Trump administration

The band Semisonic has said the Donald Trump White House “missed the point” of its hit Closing Time “entirely” when the administration used the Emmy-nominated song in a social media post showing a shackled person being deported. A statement from Semisonic also said the White House did not have permission to use the song in … Read more

Tanni Grey-Thompson among disability campaigners criticising ‘brutal’ benefit cuts | Welfare

Toxic rhetoric around benefit cuts has stirred up hatred against disabled people, Tanni Grey-Thompson has said, as campaigners called the government’s planned welfare changes “brutal and reckless”. Lady Grey-Thompson, a Paralympic champion and cross-bench peer, said she had been contacted by disabled people saying they had been shouted at in the street by passersby telling … Read more

Australia news live: Meta to keep factcheckers for election; Greens offer help for home electrification | Australia news

Meta to keep factcheckers for Australian election Josh Taylor Factcheckers will be in operation on posts on Facebook and Instagram during the Australian federal election this year, with the move to ditch factcheckers limited to the US for now. In a blog post on Tuesday night, Meta’s head of policy in Australia, Cheryl Seeto, said … Read more