The Guardian

Russia unilaterally frees Stephen Hubbard after US request while Steve Witkoff praises Putin as a ‘humanitarian’ Europe live – latest updates US politics live – latest updates Vladimir Putin ordered the release of an American from a Russian jail as he met Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday for fresh talks on ending the war in Ukraine, amid increasingly close relation…

Enthusiasts like Grimes and A$AP Rocky may embrace AI-generated content, but they won’t produce it themselves Streaming services, notable musicians and fans are confronting the growing presence of AI-generated music and drawing lines in the sand. On Tuesday, Spotify announced it had removed some 50m songs considered AI slop from its recommendations to users over the past year. Continue reading...

MPs say ‘chaos’ at Capita-run scheme could mean some claims miss tax-free time limit on lump sum payments Bereaved families could face “unconscionable” tax bills because of “chaos” in the civil service pension scheme, the government has been warned. Some lump sum pension payments to families are only tax-free if made within two years of a scheme being told of the member’s death. Continue reading.…

Sadiq Khan says upgrade will unlock station’s true potential and allow it to live up to its name Business live – latest updates Stratford International train station in east London will receive funding in next week’s budget, according to reports, putting it on track to live up to its name and become a hub for cross-Channel services. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has been making a case to ministers …

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is spending $80m to help Democratic candidates, while Trump has promised Republicans $400m. Plus a vital investigation into justice in Louisiana Good morning. Vast sums of money are being ploughed into November’s midterms , with the billionaire Michael Bloomberg spending $80m to help Democratic candidates, and Donald Trump announcing he intends to spend $400m to aid …

At 3pm BST / 4pm CEST Friday 23 Oct , Guardian Europe columnists Rokhaya Diallo and Alexander Hurst will be live taking questions from our readers about the riots and protests in France. Send your questions by email now to conversations@theguardian.com , or join the discussion on Friday After weeks of protests and a weekend of riots in which a town hall was set ablaze, 2,000-plus shops were loote…

Water company, Environment Agency and local campaigners say 12-mile tunnel could take sewage away from England’s largest lake Plans are under way for a new giant tunnel to transport sewage away from Windermere, England’s largest lake. Windermere, in the Lake District, has suffered from widespread raw sewage and bacterial pollution driven by discharges from United Utilities. Campaigners say this p…

Miatta Fahnbulleh avoids explicitly expressing support for longer path to permanent residency for foreign workers UK politics live – latest updates A cabinet split over Shabana Mahmood’s immigration policy has deepened after the energy secretary refused to say she backed plans to make foreign workers wait 15 years to claim permanent residency in the UK. Miatta Fahnbulleh said in an interview with…

President’s social media post says sites should pay the communities where they will be located and comes amid growing unpopularity of facilities Sign up for Breaking News US email Good morning and welcome to our coverage of US politics. With 14 days until the mid-terms, we’re heading into the final straight. President Donald Trump attended a rally last night in North Carolina , where Democrat Roy…

Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia, Michigan Senate hopeful has challenged premise of repeated questions on Muslim Brotherhood, Israel and faith As a candidate positioned at the center of what researchers say are the worst Islamophobic attacks seen since the aftermath of 9/11, many would expect Abdul El-Sayed to simply defend himself and move on. Instead, the Democratic candidate for US Se…

At a gathering in Texas, near where floods killed 136 people last year, survivors are united on the need for urgent action It may be a club none of its members actually want to be in, but the growing number of people in the US affected by extreme weather disasters are starting to organize into a political force. Severe wildfires, floods storms and other calamities now touch the lives of huge numb…

Independent senator’s goals ‘much bigger’ than prime ministership, he reveals in first speech to national press club Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast He’s six foot tall and full of muscle, but David Pocock’s real strength is often sounding like the most sensible, commonsense voice in the room. At his first speech to the national press club on Wednesday, he said he wasn…

Hamstrung governments seem to have no answer to the public’s furious demands, making further discontent likely Europe live – latest updates In France, it was the piles of wheelie bins stacked up against school entrances that first hinted at the scale of student anger over crumbling classrooms and teacher shortages. In Spain, it was a tent camp that steadily grew in the heart of the capital as res…

The meeting comes after the US official held ‘constructive’ talks with Zelenskyy in Norway Overnight, a handful of Republicans have spoken out against Donald Trump ’s softening stance on Russia , threatening to pull financial support for his agenda over his “embarrassing” handling of the Ukraine war. Don Bacon, an outgoing congressman in Nebraska, condemned Trump’s actions – which include a stunn…

The Jackdaw field will start supplying gas to homes and businesses from the end of the month, the government said Good morning. After months of delay, the government has taken a decision on one of the most difficult climate crisis/energy supply challenges on the table. It has approved the Jackdaw gasfield, east of Aberdeen. Peter Walker and Kiran Stacey have the story here. Here is the government…