‘We’re not playing games’: Parents launch playground protests to fight school field sell-off pred 1 uro in 13 minutami School looking to sell piece of open land beloved by people in Devon town to fund refurbishmentsOn Saturdays throughout autumn, residents of Totnes have met at a field on the banks of the River Dart to play ballgames, fly kites or simply sit on the grass and chat.But it hasn’t just been about having fun – this has been a “play protest” aimed at trying to save a beloved piece of open land in the historic Devon market town. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Inside the long, bitter fight over one man’s quest to build the biggest AI datacenter in California pred 1 uro in 13 minutami A modern-day prospector promised rural Imperial thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue – but his plan has set off a firestorm of resistanceSebastian Rucci zoomed in on a map in late 2024, looking closely at a large block of brown earth. The barren plot sandwiched between sprawling alfalfa fields and sleepy desert suburbs was exactly what he’d been searching for – the perfect place to realize his dream of building the largest artificial intelligence datacenter in California.The dusty expanse wasn’t an obvious location. It was in the Sonoran desert, just north of the Mexican border, where temperatures regularly rose past 100F (37.8C). Water was scarce in the once-booming agricultural area, which gets its supply from the beleaguered Colorado River. And then, there was the city of Imperial – population 22,000 – to win over. As controversial datacenter projects have sprung up across the US, residents were naturally skeptical of a new, energy-guzzling neighbor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bank of England governor walks out of IMF summit in protest against Russia pred 1 uro in 58 minutami Andrew Bailey among finance leaders to leave session in Bangkok when Russian finance minister addressed groupThe Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has taken part in a walkout of finance leaders who left an International Monetary Fund meeting in protest against Russian involvement.Bailey joined counterparts from France, Germany and a number of Scandinavian and Baltic countries who left the session in Bangkok when the Russian finance minister, Anton Siluanov, addressed the group in Russian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
From little acorns … to his 1,000th article for the Guardian country diary pred 2 urama in 13 minutami As Mark Cocker approaches a landmark for the world’s oldest column in an English-language newspaper, he is still inspired by powerful encounters with natureIn the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay burying acorns for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian. Thirty-nine years on, some of those jay-planted acorns will be mature oaks now, and Cocker is completing his 1,000th diary for the world’s oldest column in an English-language newspaper.In his next diary, he will reflect on the changing birdlife around Flint Clough, in the Peak District, where he first marvelled at rare birds aged 12 after devouring bird books in his bedroom. As a boy, he would find cuckoo, golden plover, ring ouzel and twite, a once-common bird which is now virtually extinct in England. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
CDC to send ‘disease detective’ to help tackle Pennsylvania measles outbreak pred 2 urama in 13 minutami State has confirmed six measles-related deaths and county at center of outbreak lacks its own health departmentThe county at the center of Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak is at a clear disadvantage because, local officials say, it lacks its own health department and it will now get special assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).As of Wednesday, Pennsylvania had confirmed 1,222 measles cases, up from 86 the week before. Six measles-associated deaths have also been confirmed by the state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UAE agrees with Saudi Arabia to re-enter Yemen conflict amid Houthi gains pred 2 urama in 16 minutami United Arab Emirates will reportedly resume payments to Yemeni forces as gains by Iran-backed Houthi fighters alarm Gulf state rulersYemen civil war: what sparked latest escalation and who is involved?The United Arab Emirates has agreed to re-enter the Yemen conflict by resuming payments to some government forces fighting Iran-aligned Houthis in the south, according to sources in Yemen. In return, Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide air cover for the anti-Houthi force.The new cooperation agreement is the first tangible signs that the deep rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over Yemen’s future is starting to be healed – if only because the advance by Houthi forces across Yemen has alarmed all the rival Gulf state rulers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Plaque telling story of African-Caribbean prisoners in Britain stolen within days pred 3 urami in 12 minutami Descendants say theft from Portchester Castle reflects spirit of racism that has haunted ‘generation after generation’The theft of a plaque in Hampshire that told the little-known story of African-Caribbean prisoners in 18th-century Britain reflects the enduring racism that has fuelled centuries of atrocities against Black and Indigenous Caribbean people, their descendants say.Drummer Ronald Raymond McDonald was part of a delegation that travelled from Belize and elsewhere to Portchester Castle last week to honour their ancestors: 2,500 men, women and children transported to Britain as prisoners of war in 1796. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US corporate lobbyists mounted ‘blitz’ to dilute landmark EU deforestation law, report finds pred 3 urami in 13 minutami Environmental watchdog Mighty Earth reveals two-year effort to postpone and weaken EU Deforestation RegulationUS corporate lobbyists launched a two-year “blitz” to postpone and weaken the world’s most progressive legislation to protect forests, according to a new investigation by the environmental watchdog Mighty Earth.Major US firms and trade associations, including Cargill, Bunge, Mondelēz and the US Soybean Export Council, as well as numerous other US firms and organizations, sought to influence the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in more than 350 meetings, the advocacy group found. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We are in hiding’: Briton with severe health issues fears deportation from Sweden pred 3 urami in 13 minutami Mark Smith, who is married to a Swedish woman, says he was told three times he needed to do nothing in order to remain after BrexitA seriously ill British man living in Sweden has been forced into hiding amid fears he will be deported as a result of what he says is a government Brexit residency error.Mark Smith, 60, who has had heart attacks, strokes, severe headaches and chronically high blood pressure that has been difficult to treat, was told on the phone he should leave Sweden by 17 October as he was an “alien” without permission to stay. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Key player in false Talarico rumor has history of online posts invoking Nazi Germany pred 3 urami in 13 minutami Ryan Amacher, who played role in bid to damage campaign, has also made antisemitic and racist posts on social mediaAn influencer who played a key role in hoax claims that James Talarico was in a mental health facility has a long history of social media posts that favorably invoke Nazi Germany, express antisemitism and anti-Black racism, criticize miscegenation and call for “remigration” of refugees.On X, the Lake Oswego, Oregon, resident Ryan Amacher, known online as Rhein Amacher, has described Muslims as “sub-human”, claimed that Black Africans are “monkeys” with low IQ, characterized immigrants as “vermin” and expressed support for the far right, including Germany’s AfD and the UK’s Tommy Robinson. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
