Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – LIV Golf Series, Saudi Arabia and sport, Golf, Sport, US sports
Title – LIV Golf files for bankruptcy protection as it looks to ‘begin the next chapter’ | LIV Golf Series | The Guardian
Author – Agence France-Presse
Link – LIV Golf files for bankruptcy protection as it looks to ‘begin the next chapter’ | LIV Golf Series | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T21:51:11.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/08/liv-golf-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-as-it-looks-to-begin-the-next-chapter

LIV Golf , the breakaway tour that spent billions of dollars luring top players away from the PGA and triggered bitter divisions within the sport, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US.

The filing at a New Jersey court indicates LIV, which abruptly lost its deep-pocketed Saudi investors earlier this year, intends to restructure and return in a new form.

But documents show LIV owes between $500m and $1bn in estimated liabilities to at least 1,000 creditors, including star players like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith.

The future of those popular players remains deeply unclear; they are now faced with deciding whether to remain with the tour in its new guise, or leave and attempt to pursue the millions of dollars they are owed in court.

“This process gives us the structure and time to pursue a landmark transaction and begin the next chapter of LIV Golf,” said the chief executive, Scott O’Neil, whose organisation had already laid off the majority of its staff this month.

O’Neil said LIV still intends to return in a new form next year “built around the fans, an innovative, player-first ownership model, and a part of the global golf ecosystem”. But “no definitive decisions regarding the 2027 schedule or individual events are being announced at this time,” the statement added.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) had spent an estimated $5bn on the tour before abruptly pulling the plug this year. LIV Golf is also seeking recognition of the US bankruptcy filing in England and Wales to cover its international assets and operations.

LIV officials have pledged that a “2.0” version of the tour will re-emerge under new investors next season, with a shorter schedule and reduced prize money. Much will depend on whether the top stars of the tour remain. Tuesday’s statement said “the company remains in advanced discussions”with players, including on “creating an ownership structure aligning players’ interests with the League’s long-term success”.

Widespread reports have linked several LIV stars with returns to the PGA Tour and other series, though the PGA said it has no plans to offer LIV players a pathway back.

Keyword – Science
Trefwoorden – Mathematics, Technology, AI (artificial intelligence), OpenAI, Science
Title – OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades | Mathematics | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/iansample,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/danmilmo
Link – OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades | Mathematics | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T21:29:10.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/08/openai-claims-to-have-solved-maths-problem-that-stumped-humans-for-decades

OpenAI claims to have solved a major mathematics problem that has stumped humans for nearly a century after spending millions of dollars on the artificial intelligence-led endeavour.

The company behind ChatGPT said it had cracked the Navier-Stokes problem, one of seven Millennium Prize Problems published by the Clay Mathematics Institute to highlight some of the biggest unsolved puzzles in the field.

However, the announcement swiftly became mired in controversy after mathematician Tristan Buckmaster, a professor at New York University, said OpenAI accelerated its work on the problem after hearing that he and another researcher at Anthropic, an OpenAI rival, were poised to announce their own breakthrough.

Buckmaster had further concerns because the pair’s work in progress was stored in OpenAI’s Codex model, which is used for writing computer programs, potentially making the work visible to the OpenAI team.

In a document posted on his website, he added: “I do not know what their model did, or how. I do not know whether our data was used. I am not accusing anyone of anything.”

At a press briefing on Tuesday, OpenAI researcher Sebastien Bubeck denied that the company had used the pair’s work or accessed material shared with OpenAI’s servers.

OpenAI’s announcement on the breakthrough gave more details, saying that the company was inspired to launch the effort after hearing rumours that two Millennium Prize Problems had been solved. It also said it could not rule out that data from the pair’s use of their products “helped improve our models.”

OpenAI said it tackled the Navier-Stokes problem with an internal OpenAI system that was more powerful than its latest GPT-6 Astra model. About 10,000 AI agents – AI systems that carry out tasks autonomously – worked on the problem at once and reached the solution in 88 hours.

“A major goal of our work is to empower scientists to advance research and technology that benefits all of humanity,” OpenAI researchers wrote in a blog. “We believe it is important to inform the world about the pace of AI progress and what to expect from upcoming models”.

The breakthrough is the latest to demonstrate how advanced artificial intelligence models consuming enormous amounts of computing power are encroaching on and reshaping the field of mathematics. In May, OpenAI claimed progress in another mathematical problem first proposed 80 years ago, while Google DeepMind has also claimed maths achievements with its models.

Bubeck said the solution to the Navier-Stokes problem was “a spectacular culmination of the arc we have seen over the past 12 months”.

The Navier-Stokes problem asks whether equations that are used to describe the movement of fluids like air and water fail under particular conditions. OpenAI’s proof suggests that they do, with the equations occasionally “blowing up” with the speed of fluids becoming impossibly infinite. It took OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra about 17 hours to verify the solution.

Mathematicians who solve any of the Millennium Prize Problems are in line for a $1m (£740,000) reward from the Clay Mathematics Institute. OpenAI, which is preparing for a flotation that could value the business at around $1tn, said it did not intend to claim the prize.

The clash with Buckmaster aside, the maths announcement also allows OpenAI to cast its technology in a positive light after a period of alarm over how safely it is being developed. OpenAI revealed in July that a swarm of agents had hacked into Hugging Face , a third’-party software store, during a cybersecurity test.

The incident, plus a similar episode at Anthropic , has led to renewed calls for curbs on AI development, with US senators calling last week for a permanent ban of AI “superintelligence” – the term for systems that outperform humans in all cognitive tasks.

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – Champions League, Real Madrid, Internazionale, Football, Sport
Title – Real Madrid somehow cling on to beat Inter on José Mourinho’s big night | Champions League | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/sidlowe
Link – Real Madrid somehow cling on to beat Inter on José Mourinho’s big night | Champions League | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T21:18:12.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/08/real-madrid-inter-champions-league-match-report

Sometimes football is silly, sometimes it doesn’t make much sense, and sometimes it’s fun for it. On a night when there were 37 shots and the goalkeepers shared 13 occasionally absurd saves between them, José Mourinho’s current side beat his former team Inter on his Champions League return to Real Madrid. Just don’t ask exactly how. Except perhaps to cite Thibaut Courtois, whose astonishing 89th-minute stop from Henrikh Mkhitaryan explained much and allowed them, just, to hold on to the first-half lead they had been given by goals from Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde.

By Mbappé, Valverde, and Inter themselves, that is. You might be tempted to say the Italians had shot themselves in the foot, only if they tried Courtois would probably save that too. “If he wasn’t voted man of the match tonight, he never will be,” Mourinho said. It took 77 minutes for him to be beaten, Carlos Augusto’s goal giving this match a frantic last 15 minutes and Inter hope of justice, but it didn’t happen again. So a game that could have had any scoreline – “5-1 to us, 6-6, I don’t want to say they could have won,” Mourinho suggested – actually ended 2-1. Madrid’s manager called it “mad, and not a madness I like.”

This wasn’t always good from Madrid, in fact at times it was terrible. There was a void where the midfield should be, Mourinho thanking Trent Alexander-Arnold for filling in a “specific” midfield role that’s not for him. The intensity in the press high up was matched by a passivity elsewhere. Inter played through and round them, clocking up twice as many attacks and passes. At the end the Santiago Bernabéu whistled; Vinícius Júnior in particular felt their frustration. Yet their team, who also could have won by more – Jude Bellingham said he had missed “two sitters” – have started with a win.

The irritation had grown. When Madrid scored the first, this placed cheered but they might have laughed too. That Madrid led didn’t make sense; not when it came to the goal, not when it came to the game either. It had taken Madrid four minutes to get a meaningful touch, and by then Courtois had already made a superb save from Marcus Thuram. But this is Madrid in the Champions League and now somehow they led. Ninety minutes later, they still did, which didn’t compute either.

Inter had been playing with what looked like ease until suddenly even the simplest things looked complicated. Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martínez had just fired off the third and fourth shots without reward when it happened. Inter had enjoyed 65% of possession so far but gave it up in a way that was comic. Curtis Jones struggled with the first ball, playing to Yann Bisseck who fatally lost his bearing and his footing. Stumbling like someone attached his legs the wrong way round, he gave it to Brahím Diaz who sent Mbappé away to score.

It was Madrid’s first shot and the opening goal. If that was silly, what came next was even more ridiculous. What is it Madrid do to goalkeepers in this competition? Receiving on his line, Josep Martínez saw Valverde steaming in and tried a drag back, which failed. A flick of the ankle and the Uruguayan had scored. Twenty-three minutes, two shots, 2-0. “That was not chance,” Mourinho said and the lead might have grown when another robbery saw Vinícius dashing away. Bissek, this time, made a fantastic saving challenge. For all the fortune this felt like a plan now: force the mistake, punish it. Madrid forced more too, which they didn’t punish.

Inter recovered and reasserted themselves, a calmness in possession at one end that contrasted with the calamitousness further back. Curtis Jones, Lautaro Martínez and Augusto virtually walked into the area, where Jones’ effort smashed the crossbar. Then another gift, from Benjamin Pavard, saw Madrid escape just before the break. Bellingham was denied by a wonderful stop from Josep Martínez and Díaz hit the post. Inter led 12-3 in shots, boasted 70% possession and had completed 125 final third passes to Madrid’s 13. Madrid, though, led.

Those numbers evened as the game opened, the second half beginning with Josep Martínez coming out to stop Mbappé before Inter came back at them. Courtois saved from Jones, Nicolò Barella shot wide and Thuram scooped over. The roar that then greeted an outrageous Courtois double stop spoke of disbelief, although the flag was up. The feeling was similar when Josep Martínez scrambled across his line to stop Bellingham after Díaz’s glorious scoop over him and into the Englishman.

A competition built between the keepers. Madrid could have killed this, many times. Inter could have revived it. Courtois saved from Alessandro Bastoni. Josep Martínez saved from Mbappé with his legs. That was 6-5 to Courtois. There were whistles, frustration, but chances too: the 20 seconds or so between Lautaro Martínez being blocked at one end and Díaz slotting wide at the other told a tale. Inter finally scored when another incisive exchange saw Lautaro Martínez pull back for Augusto to score. There were f15 minutes left and a game on, but that, somehow, was that. Which didn’t make sense either.

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – Champions League, Porto, Manchester City, European club football, Football, Sport
Title – Haaland double gives Manchester City ideal Champions League start in Porto | Champions League | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jamiejackson
Link – Haaland double gives Manchester City ideal Champions League start in Porto | Champions League | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T21:08:19.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/08/porto-manchester-city-champions-league-match-report

Enzo Maresca admitted a liking for the “boom-boom” of house music in the buildup to this match, then enjoyed the sweet notes of victory having overseen a gritty performance from his Manchester City side in incessant rain.

City had lost six of their past nine away games in the competition, and been beaten in the 2021 Champions League final at this venue, so to beat Porto and claim three points is a fillip for the manager’s nascent project.

A bust-up at half-time as the players and staff neared the tunnel may bring Uefa scrutiny, though. Images showed Rúben Dias placing a hand on what appeared to be Francesco Farioli, the Porto head coach. The defender did so as tempers frayed after a clash between Marc Guéhi and Gabriel Veiga that left the latter with a head injury, though he continued.

Informed of Dias’s act, Maresca was visibly angered when asked if his captain will be spoken to, as it could cost City. “Probably, anyway you can ask what you want but how many times you see me or my bench or the guys that work with me stand up on the bench. Zero, for 95 minutes. How many times you see their bench?” he said.

Overall, the Italian should feel exuberant. All four of his opening games have been won – maybe more than even the 46-year-old could have hoped for, Erling Haaland’s double maintaining the perfect start. The goalscoring phenomenon is now third on City’s all-time chart with 167 goals after only four years, with 59 in 59 Champions League matches.

Haaland said: “Amazing game, against the champions of Portugal. We have to deliver on the biggest stage and we did that tonight.”

Maresca gave Ayyoub Bouaddi a full debut, alongside Enzo Fernández in midfield, and the 18-year-old Moroccan impressed, though a failure to find Haaland brought a reprimand. “I told the chairman [Khaldoon al-Mubarak] we’ve got a gem there,” said Haaland. “But he should’ve played me through in the second half, I was all alone. I was a bit angry so I’ll tell him right now – but he played a good game, except that pass.”

Initially, Porto could allow City to pitter-patter passes about as there was no quickness or penetration. Farioli’s men offered an example of how when Guéhi’s ball short-changed Bouaddi, possession was nabbed, and suddenly William Gomes had to be stopped on the edge of City’s area. Earlier, Veiga sliced through and had Gianluigi Donnarumma saving: the offside flag went up but here were two warnings.

Discard the ponderous pace might have been Maresca’s message because when Phil Foden switched flanks from the right and accelerated, Porto were splayed, and Haaland’s header from the cross required Diogo Costa to keep the contest goalless.

A near-carbon copy arrived when Antoine Semenyo popped the ball over from the left but, this time, Haaland’s header sailed over. City were warming up: Foden, Rayan Cherki and Haaland all being denied, as Porto were caught in a chokehold around their area.

At Leicester and then Chelsea Maresca drew criticism for a quasi-sideways style. Yet tonight’s XI had become direct and a threat, as when Bouaddi chipped the ball left from near halfway, it went forward at speed, and a panicked Porto cleared.

Now, when Veiga went down after the challenge with Guéhi, the match was halted and the discord that continued to the tunnel area started up.

Yet following the seemingly de rigueur fireworks before every Champions League game, Porto had begun with sky-high confidence after winning all of their five Primeira Liga outings, so when wandering off they remained content.

The mood changed instantaneously on their return. City, at last, showed the ruthlessness needed at this level. Cherki, broke into the area, swerved left, leaving Costa stranded. He fed Fernández and Haaland headed the delivery into the turf and home and the visitors had a priceless lead.

What would be Porto’s response? To rove upfield and go close to the equaliser, was the answer, a corollary of City’s openness, as when André Silva had an age to dip right and let fly, the former Portugal forward’s attempt hitting the side netting.

The lead was slender, as it was in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Coventry. Maresca acted when the hour passed, removing Cherki and Semenyo for Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye: two attackers for one forward and a holding player in Anderson whose role was to exert control and aid Bouaddi in snuffing out any Porto threat.

A second goal would also stymie the hosts, so Ndiaye skipped across the grass and unloaded, but the effort went straight into Costa’s clutches. Foden, too, tried to break in behind, but the ball was shepherded back to the Porto keeper.

Whenever Farioli’s team moved forward City remained vulnerable, despite Anderson’s presence. At the death, though, Haaland’s right-footed finish made sure of victory and meant that even when tempers flared again it was of zero import to Maresca’s team, who had emerged victorious on a difficult evening.

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – US Open Tennis 2026, Tennis, Sport, US Open tennis
Title – Sabalenka shows fighting spirit to deny Noskova and reach US Open semis | US Open Tennis 2026 | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/tumaini-carayol
Link – Sabalenka shows fighting spirit to deny Noskova and reach US Open semis | US Open Tennis 2026 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T20:17:28.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/08/aryna-sabalenka-linda-noskova-us-open-tennis-quarter-finals

It seemed for some time that Aryna Sabalenka would be consumed by the rage and anxiety that has smothered her for so much of the year. At 2-2 in the final set of her brutal quarter-final against Linda Noskova, a second double fault of the game damned Sabalenka to a 0-40 deficit. She instantly fell to her knees, bowed her head and screamed. She soon trailed 2-4 in the set.

Over her past five arduous months, Sabalenka has reliably unravelled under pressure. However, at the final grand slam tournament of the year, with her US Open title and No 1 ranking on the line, this was her very last chance to salvage her season. Somehow, the top-seeded Sabalenka finally had a response as she recovered to win an astonishing match and reach the semi-finals with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (7) win over Noskova, the sixth seed.

Before the tournament, it was clear that the intense depth at the top of the women’s game, where each of the top 11 players currently hold a big title, meant there are so many worthy title candidates. The quarter-final lineup reflects this embarrassment of riches. Each of the top six seeds reached the last eight, with five of them being grand slam champions along with the perennial top-five player Jessica Pegula and the Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.

A meeting between the defending US Open champion and the new Wimbledon champion was top of the list of the highly anticipated tussles and it developed into one of the best matches of the year. This was a spectacular exhibition of unfiltered first-strike tennis. The quality of serving from both sides of the net was supreme, with Noskova firing down 18 aces and Sabalenka finishing with 46% unreturned serves, including a statement second-serve ace to close out a tight tie-break set. Both players fearlessly forced themselves inside the baseline, Sabalenka’s searing power contrasted with Noskova’s sweet timing and precise changes of direction.

After trailing 2-4, 0-15, Sabalenka followed up a commanding service game with a flawless return game, pulling herself level with a break to love. Even under intense pressure, Sabalenka continued to think clearly as she kept testing the hitchy Noskova forehand which, despite being strong for much of the match, buckled in the decisive moments deep in the final set and marked the difference between them. “What a battle,” said Sabalenka. “What an incredible player she is. I’m speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set. I honestly thought that that’s it, the match is over. Probably that’s what helped me to feel loose and go after my shots. Super happy to get this win.”

Sabalenka’s victory leaves the pressure on Elena Rybakina’s shoulders as she tries to usurp Sabalenka in the rankings. Should Rybakina defeat Zheng in their quarter-final on Wednesday, the Kazakhstani will become world No 1 for the first time. If she loses, Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula would finish the tournament ranked No 1 if they win the title. While the ranking is out of her hands, Sabalenka’s resilience means she is still in the running for a third consecutive US Open title. She will face the winner of the all-American night battle between the third seed Pegula and Emma Navarro, the 26th seed.

Although Noskova did not depart Arthur Ashe Stadium with a victory, after struggling with motivation after her life-changing Wimbledon triumph, reaching the quarter-finals of her next grand slam tournament and performing at such a high level against the world No 1 is a statement of intent. As she adjusts to her new status at the top of the game, the 21-year-old will only continue to improve and to make life hell for the established elite.

Keyword – US news
Trefwoorden – Los Angeles, California, West Coast, US news
Title – Erik and Lyle Menendez eligible to face parole board early next year | Los Angeles | The Guardian
Author – Associated Press
Link – Erik and Lyle Menendez eligible to face parole board early next year | Los Angeles | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T19:51:24.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/08/erik-lyle-menendez-parole

Erik and Lyle Menendez will be before a parole board again in March, about 17 months earlier than expected.

The brothers were originally sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for the 1989 fatal shootings of their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion. A Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life in May 2025, making them eligible for parole because they were under age 26 when they committed their crimes.

They were denied parole in August 2025, with the California parole board saying Lyle Menendez still displayed “anti-social personality traits like deception” and that Erik Menendez broke prison rules by repeatedly using a cellphone.

The brothers were then eligible to apply for another hearing in August 2028. That has now been tentatively moved up to March by the parole board after the brothers’ requests for earlier hearings were granted on Friday.

The California department of corrections and rehabilitation allows eligible prisoners to seek earlier parole if there is “a change in circumstances or new information indicating the person may be suitable for parole”.

The department did not immediately respond to requests for comment about why the brothers were granted an earlier hearing. The brothers’ attorney declined to comment through a family spokeswoman.

The case has long captivated true crime enthusiasts, with the brothers amassing public support in recent years after shows on Netflix renewed interest.

Weeks after the board rejected their release last year, a Los Angeles judge denied their petition seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father.

“For almost 40 years, Erik and Lyle have worked to take responsibility for their actions, confront and heal from the unimaginable abuse and trauma they endured, grow as individuals, and dedicate themselves to serving others,” their family said in a statement on Monday.

The family said the brothers, who are in a San Diego prison, helped establish a hospice program and created a beautification program at the prison.

“They have sought to build an environment that reminds people serving life sentences that their lives still have meaning and that, regardless of their circumstances, they can choose each day to grow, heal, accept accountability,” the family said.

The brothers went on trial separately, and in 1994 each jury deadlocked. Prosecutors argued that they killed their parents for financial gain. The brothers’ attorneys did not dispute the pair killed their parents but argued that they acted out of self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse by their father.

Two years later, the brothers were retried together with much of the defense evidence about alleged sexual abuse excluded. Jurors convicted both brothers of first-degree murder.

Keyword – World news
Trefwoorden – Israel, Foreign policy, Ed Miliband, West Bank, Palestine, Middle East and north Africa, Politics, UK news, World news
Title – UK accuses Israeli ‘terrorists’ of ethnic cleansing in West Bank with government backing | Israel | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/pippacrerar,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jessica-elgot,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/kiran-stacey
Link – UK accuses Israeli ‘terrorists’ of ethnic cleansing in West Bank with government backing | Israel | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T19:00:50.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/08/uk-accuses-israeli-terrorists-ethnic-cleansing-west-bank-government-backing

Settler terrorists supported by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are committing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, Ed Miliband has said, in the UK’s starkest condemnation since the foundation of the Israeli state.

Andy Burnham, the prime minister, said he would “not stand by” as horrific suffering continued, writing in the Guardian that for too long the UK had been hesitant to act , “fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel”.

In the Commons, the foreign secretary said the government would now take the official position that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank was unlawful in its entirety, as he announced sweeping sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements.

The dramatic shift in the UK’s position comes after a summer of intense diplomacy against a backdrop of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, which has resulted in 12 nations – including France and Canada – announcing they would impose sanctions.

In a joint statement Burnham, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney said: “The time has come to take further action to uphold our commitment to protect the two-state solution, our interests and to stand up for our values, before it is too late.”

In response, the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, announced the closure of the UK consulate in Jerusalem and that 12 British MPs and activists – including Jeremy Corbyn and Labour MP Diane Abbott – would be banned from entering Israel .

Saar accused Miliband of “outrageous lies” and said the UK government was “systematically working against the state of Israel”. Washington’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, warned that the US could take retaliatory action over trade.

However, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said Washington would “obviously” not follow the UK’s course of action, and did not want to see the West Bank destabilised, but declined to comment further. Burnham had briefed Donald Trump on the plan in advance.

In his statement to parliament, Miliband said the UK government would enact:

An import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories and a new ban for arms licences and other exports that “materially contribute to the occupation”.

A comprehensive sanctions regime against providing services such as construction or financing for Israeli settlements and a ban on advertising them in the UK.

Personal sanctions against key individuals accused of promoting settler violence.

A new ban for arms licences and other exports that “materially contribute to the occupation”.

The foreign secretary said the UK’s actions would show that “Britain is not silent in the face of deep injustice, and nor is it powerless”. In an emotional statement, he described the agony he had heard from Palestinians in the West Bank whose homes had been destroyed and from doctors in Gaza who had seen children dying waiting for medical treatment.

The UK’s actions have been made increasingly urgent by Israel’s plans to expand the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, which could in effect cut off the north from the south of the West Bank, threatening the viability of any future Palestinian state.

Ministers expect the legislation to enforce the trade ban and sanctions to be in place within nine months, although they could be subject to legal challenge, which would result in a delay.

Miliband stopped short of describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide, as some on the left have demanded, saying the UK would wait for the determination of the international courts, but that there was evidence of “war crimes”.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: “The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists.

“All too often the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians.

“I recognise the gravity of saying this, but the truth is the least the people who face such suffering deserve. And it should be the prelude to justice.”

Miliband suggested that Keir Starmer had been reluctant to take action against West Bank settlers during his time as prime minister. “I’ll say very bluntly we should have acted earlier. And it has taken the new prime minister to come in and recognise the gravity of the situation,” he told MPs.

Burnham, who apologised for Labour’s stance on Gaza when he became prime minister, attempting to shore up votes on the party’s progressive flank, also said the previous government had been too slow to act.

Writing in the Guardian , he said: “We have called for years for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognise that those words are meaningless unless we back them up with action. For too long, we have been hesitant to act, fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel.”

Miliband said he was taking the action as foreign secretary but also as a “proud British Jew” with relatives who had found safety in Israel after the Holocaust. “I am proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the state of Israel,” he said.

“And there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for the state of Palestine . Indeed, quite the opposite. The two-state solution is based on an explicit belief that the only route to security for both peoples is to live side by side in peaceful coexistence with freedom, security and self-determination.”

The foreign secretary said that to respond to threats against Jews around the world, the UK would also impose sanctions on Lebanese Hezbollah’s financing arm, Al-Qard al-Hassan, and reimpose major economic sanctions on Iran in line with the EU and US.

The action marked the beginning of a new approach towards Israel and Palestine, he said, one that not only condemned but took action. “Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the UK has unshakeable bonds. Our argument is with the conduct of its government.”

Burnham wrote that the British Jewish community must not be blamed for the actions of the Israeli government. “[It] is wrong, plain and simple. And it is antisemitism, plain and simple,” he said.

“I met with the representatives of the Jewish community just last week. I know the fear they live with day by day. My government will stop at nothing to ensure they are safe and to stamp out antisemitism in every part of our society.”

The shadow foreign secretary, Tom Tugendhat, said “illegal settlements are wrong” but suggested that Miliband was introducing policies the Foreign Office did not believe would work. Whitehall insiders denied this was the case.

The senior Conservative MP also said there was a risk of harming Palestinians who worked in the West Bank and that “the economies of Palestine and Israel were too interconnected” for a ban on goods for illegal settlements to work.

But the veteran Tory MP Edward Leigh gave full backing to the sanctions. “I am proud to say as the longest serving member of the Conservative Friends of Israel that I absolutely and fully support what he is doing today because it is about standing up for freedom, for morality and justice for all people in this world,” he said.

The move forms part of a broader attempt by Burnham’s government to reset British policy towards Israel, in part to regain the trust among Muslim and progressive voters in the UK they lost in the early days of the conflict.

It was overwhelmingly welcomed by Labour MPs, many of whom have been struggling with the issue in their constituencies, although some sounded a note of caution about the potential impact on local Jewish communities.

Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said: “At last! I am so very happy to see a British government – a Labour British government – finally doing the right thing and taking a strong stance … no longer a bystander wringing their hands.”

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – Champions League, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Napoli, Football, Sport
Title – Air traffic chaos delays Arsenal flight to Naples for Champions League | Champions League | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ed-aarons
Link – Air traffic chaos delays Arsenal flight to Naples for Champions League | Champions League | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T18:38:24.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/08/air-traffic-chaos-delays-arsenal-flight-to-naples-for-champions-league

Arsenal’s preparations for their opening Champions League game against Napoli have been disrupted after they were caught up in the travel chaos that affected airports across the UK.

Mikel Arteta was forced to cancel his pre-match press conference at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Tuesday after Arsenal’s flight was severely delayed by an air-traffic control issue. The Arsenal manager and his players are understood to have remained at the club’s training ground in Hertfordshire as they waited for the delay to pass after completing their morning session as usual.

Club sources have insisted there has been no alteration to their planned schedule other than arriving later than expected to the team hotel. Uefa has also agreed to allow Arsenal to cancel their mandatory press conference due to the delays, which have also affected supporters travelling to Italy for the match.

Jurriën Timber is set to be part of the Arsenal squad for the first time since the Champions League final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain on 30 May after recovering from a groin injury. The Netherlands defender missed the World Cup due to the problem that has dogged him since March but Arteta said before Sunday’s win over Chelsea that Timber was close to returning.

Cristhian Mosquera is still absent with a muscle issue but Marli Salmon, the 17-year-old defender who signed his first professional deal last month, is also part of the 23-man squad.

Arsenal won all eight of their group stage matches in the Champions League last season on their way to the final and have only lost one in their last 12 away games in the competition. But as they prepare for one of Europe’s most intimidating atmospheres, Arteta insisted they must take one game at a time despite starting the season with a 100% record in the Premier League.

“That puts us in a really good situation. The energy and the confidence around the team is high – now we have to show that,” he said.

“I’ve been in that stadium before, I know the atmosphere they create. The record at home is really, really strong. We know the challenge ahead. We are prepared and we’re ready to go.”

Napoli finished as runners up behind Inter in Serie A last season, but have made a poor start this season under their new manager, Massimiliano Allegri. Kevin De Bruyne is expected to feature against Arsenal but they are without Scott McTominay, who had a successful surgical procedure to treat an irregular heartbeat yesterday. The 29-year-old is expected to resume training in two weeks.

Napoli are also are likely to be without influential former Fulham midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa as Allegri takes charge of his first Champions League match for four years. “People in this town have passion for the team, we have to start winning games again,” Allegri said. “We know we are challenging a very strong team – Arteta has done extraordinary things. Let’s face it with pride and desire.”

Keyword – Politics
Trefwoorden – Politics, Ed Miliband, Andy Burnham, Labour, Israel, West Bank, Palestine, World news, UK news, Conservatives
Title – Commons breathes sigh of relief as UK finally takes a moral stance on Israeli settlements | John Crace | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/johncrace
Link – Commons breathes sigh of relief as UK finally takes a moral stance on Israeli settlements | John Crace | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T17:40:51.000Z
Category – Opinion
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/08/commons-breathes-sigh-of-relief-as-uk-finally-takes-a-moral-stance-on-israeli-settlements

N obody can say they weren’t warned. The Andy Burnham government might have looked like Continuity Keir with more positive vibes for the first six weeks or so, but on Tuesday a new line was drawn. When Burnham said he felt Labour had not done enough on Palestine and Gaza, he had meant it. His decision to impose trade sanctions on illegal settlements in the West Bank was to be his first break with the past.

Some opponents chose to get their retaliation in early, before Ed Miliband had even stood up to make the announcement in the Commons on Tuesday. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador, declared on Sunday that Ed was guilty of “hating Jews”. Which rather implied he thought Ed hated himself.

Huckabee also wondered when we would get round to sanctioning Russia, China and North Korea. Er … We have, Mike. Try to keep up.

The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, insisted that “the UK would be on the wrong side of history” if the sanctions were imposed. Presumably that means that doing nothing as Israeli settlers, with the explicit endorsement of the Israeli government , seize land, burn homes and kill children is the right side of history. It’s a strange world we live in.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right security minister, went completely rogue. His take was that this made “Las Malvinas” Argentinian territory. As though it was the sanctions that were the nail in the coffin for the Falklands. Still, there was some consistency there. The Israel government has never placed much weight on the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination. So why should they bother to make an exception for the Falkland islanders?

Nor was all the oppo to be found abroad. Kemi Badenoch wrote a piece for the Jewish Chronicle in which she insisted that the government was desperate to win back Islamists and that Jews would no longer be safe in this country. Bizarrely, though, she made no effort to engage with what the Tories proposed to do about the Israeli settlements. Presumably nothing. Just give another nod and a wink to Benjamin Netanyahu as yet more Palestinians are forced off their land. I mean, it’s not as if the diplomatic efforts until now have had much effect.

By contrast, the Commons itself was an oasis of calm. Proof that just occasionally MPs are capable of behaving and arguing as adults. A proper debate with proper arguments, sincerely held. This could have been partly helped by fewer than 10 Tory backbenchers having bothered to turn up – we have to assume most of them don’t care much either way what goes on in the West Bank – but the Labour benches were all but full. For most of them, this was a statement that was long overdue. Though there was little triumphalism to be seen. More like relief. Burnham even showed up to lend support.

Miliband started by addressing his own Jewishness . He had reason to be grateful to Israel for providing a home to some of his relatives and he condemned all forms of antisemitism. But there was a separation to be made between the Israelis and the Israeli government. This was about righting a wrong, not giving in to hatred. And these sanctions would only apply to goods and services provided to or from the illegal settlements. This wasn’t a blanket ban on everything Israeli. It was about taking a moral stance. At no longer being a bystander while a foreign government broke the law. It was time to live our values and fight oppression and suffering. We were not powerless. It was the only way to maintain the dream of a two-state solution. Nor were we alone. France and Canada had also joined other countries in imposing sanctions.

The tone of the debate was immeasurably improved by having Tom Tugendhat reply for the Tories. Had Priti Patel still been the shadow foreign secretary, it would almost certainly have become a lot more bitter. Although Tugendhat was clearly operating with one hand tied behind his back. It wasn’t immediately clear what Tom really thought about the sanctions, but he was under instructions from Kemi to say they were definitely a bad thing and they needed to be opposed. So that’s rather what he had to do.

Tugendhat began with a long list of things with which he agreed in Miliband’s statement. That the settlements were illegal, that crimes had been committed, that Hamas were a terrorist organisation and that a two-state solution was the only workable outcome. You felt that in another world, Tom might have left it at that. But he had a job to do so he came out with a few comebacks. The sanctions wouldn’t work, British security would be compromised and 25% of the UK would die because we would no longer receive Israeli pharmaceuticals.

As with Kemi, Tom couldn’t quite square all this away with his default position of doing nothing. Tugendhat considers himself a man of action. Someone who would much rather be seen to be doing something. Now he was left to endorse the option of continuing to let Netanyahu get away with allegations of literal murder. As if all our allies automatically got a free pass. An annual allowance of dead children. Up to 100 and we promise to look the other way.

Much of the rest of the statement was taken with Labour MPs offering their appreciation to a government that had listened to their concerns. Nor was it just the home crowd. Edward Leigh declared he was the longest-standing member of the Conservative friends of Israel and he was 100% behind Miliband in this. Enough was enough. Kit Malthouse and Desmond Swayne felt much the same. When you have these three on your side, you’ve almost certainly more than made your case.

Oliver Dowden was a little more reticent. Couldn’t we have waited just a little bit longer? Until after the Israeli elections. Then Netanyahu might be out of office and a more moderate government installed in its place. It was hard to know what he was getting at. It’s not as if any Israelis are in much doubt about the nature of their current government. Britain imposing sanctions isn’t going to sway some marginal voters into thinking that maybe they needed more illegal settlements after all. Maybe it was just Oliver’s way of thinking out loud. He’s easily confused after all.

Keyword – US news
Trefwoorden – Mississippi, Water, Environment, US news, US politics
Title – US federal court says no constitutional right to clean water in Mississippi case | Mississippi | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/victoria-bekiempis
Link – US federal court says no constitutional right to clean water in Mississippi case | Mississippi | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-09-08T17:37:22.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/08/mississippi-clean-water-case-constitutional-right

A US appellate court has decided that the federal constitution does not guarantee a right to clean water.

That legal opinion came in the form of a decision on Friday from the fifth circuit court of appeals to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit from several Jackson, Mississippi, residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their constitutional rights.

Those residents of Mississippi’s capital city contended that their local drinking water was unsafe to drink because of high lead levels and other contaminants.

The New Orleans-based fifth circuit’s majority opinion held that the residents wanted “recognition of two new constitutional rights lacking any foundation in the history and tradition of our nation” – those being “the right to be free from exposure to contaminated water and the right to accurate information from public officials”.

In the majority’s view, residents should have gone about their legal fight for clean water another way, such as pursuing “tort claims” or by “electing representatives who will better manage the public-water system, and petitioning their representatives for other remedies”.

Tort claims allege “harms caused by others” while seeking “to impose liability on parties responsible for the harm, and to deter others from committing harmful acts”, according to Cornell University’s law school .

Friday’s decision also said that state and federal officials were working hard to improve the majority-Black city’s drinking water. The residents who filed suit alleged that public authorities had for years failed to mitigate lead levels and failed to inform them about an increase.

“Plaintiffs have not been left to go at it alone,” the court said. “The State of Mississippi and federal government have worked for years, and continue today, to improve the city of Jackson’s drinking water quality through regulations, investigations, and compliance plans.”

Meanwhile, the opinion also said: “It is undisputed that the Constitution does not guarantee clean water.”

The opinion also held that a state does not have a constitutional duty “to provide substantive services for those within its border absent a special relationship”. And municipalities are not constitutionally obligated to provide sewerage, water treatment or waste management services “in a reasonably competent fashion”, the decision said.

The decision nonetheless said that the majority of the court recognized the allegations of “serious government misfeasance” and was “sympathetic to the injuries [the plaintiffs] may suffer as a result”. But, the court’s ruling said “our sympathies cannot be the basis” for converting tort claims into constitutional issues.

“These deprivations, while grievous, do not infringe upon any deeply rooted constitutional right,” the fifth circuit’s opinion said.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached for comment. John Horhn, the Jackson mayor, said in a statement: “We are pleased that the fifth circuit upheld the dismissal of these claims.

“The City remains committed to the health, safety, and well-being of every Jackson resident.”

Jackson residents say that they have long reeled from water crises.

The NAACP filed a complaint in September 2022 alleging that Mississippi state authorities violated civil rights law by repeatedly sending federal money earmarked for drinking water safety to white communities rather than Jackson. Such diversion of funds constituted racial discrimination, the complaint said.

“The result is persistently unsafe and unreliable drinking water and massive gaps in the access to safe drinking water that are intolerable in any modern society,” Jackson residents said in a complaint to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Nearly all of the residents of Jackson have watched brackish, dirty, impure, and undrinkable water trickle from their taps. At times, some have had no water at all.”

The NAACP’s Jackson branch sued over the diversion of these funds in August 2025. The suit against several Mississippi state officials alleged that they “intentionally deprived [Jackson] residents … of access to federal relief funds … which were promised to Jackson in order to address the water infrastructure crisis”.

The lawsuit asked for a judge to declare that this diversion of money “is both facially discriminatory and the result of discriminatory purpose” – and to bar officials from permanently siphoning that money away from Jackson.