Govia Thameslink, Chiltern and Great Western to follow West Midlands Trains into public ownership in 2026, transport secretary to tell Labour party conference
Keir Starmer will warn the Labour party that it is in a “fight for the soul of the nation” and that history will not forgive his government if it fails to confront and defeat Reform UK and the populist right.
Speaking to the Guardian ahead of a vital conference for his leadership, he said he would tell disgruntled party members that now was “not the time for introspection” and infighting.
I have to say to all of those attending conference, this is a real opportunity for us to make our argument about patriotic national renewal, to own patriotism, to define it for what it is.
History will not forgive us if we do not use every ounce of our energy to fight Reform. There is an enemy. There is a project which is detrimental to our country. It actually goes against the grain of our history. It’s right there in plain sight in front of us. We have to win this battle.
Noise pollution is increasingly recognized as an issue intertwining environmental concerns and social inequality; a recent citizen study titled “De Oorzaak” conducted by the University of Antwerp, UZA hospital, and newspaper De Morgen highlights that lower-income households experience significantly more disturbance from noise., reports 24brussels.
The research indicates that road traffic is the primary source of noise pollution, with cities like Antwerp, Ghent, and Leuven recording average noise levels that exceed recommended thresholds—60 decibels for average daytime noise and 50 decibels during the night. Professor Cedric Vuye from the University of Antwerp elaborates on these findings, underscoring the extent of the issue.
Furthermore, individuals exposed to elevated noise levels are at a greater risk of health complications, including sleep disorders and stress-related illnesses. Salivary analysis from a segment of the Antwerp participants illustrates that those with hyperacusis—a condition marked by sound sensitivity—exhibit higher cortisol levels, a key indicator of stress.
Conversely, the study noted a positive correlation between the perception of nature sounds and resident satisfaction with their living environments. Participants who reported noticing natural sounds expressed greater contentment, pointing to a crucial aspect of urban living.
“This confirms that investing in more green and quiet areas is not only ecologically or aesthetically valuable, but also contributes directly to health and well-being,” remarked researcher Jonas Lembrechts from the University of Antwerp.
The citizen study commenced in late 2023, with findings published nearly two years later. A total of 4,665 participants took part in a “Sound Walk,” while over 10,000 individuals completed the “Great Sound Survey.” Sound sensors collected data across 1,452 locations in Antwerp, Ghent, and Leuven over a six-week period. Additionally, close to 100 residents engaged in sleep and hearing research, and 128 individuals shared data from their smartwatches.
Gaston Browne Urges International Cooperation Against Global Crises
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, called for enhanced international cooperation to tackle pressing issues such as drug trafficking, climate change, and armed conflict during his speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Browne emphasized the need for action grounded in international law, reports 24brussels.
In his address, Browne condemned the use of lethal force in combating drug trafficking, advocating instead for interventions based on “clear legal authority and rules of intervention that minimize the risk to life.” His remarks coincided with increasing concerns regarding the military buildup in the Caribbean, particularly the presence of a nuclear submarine, leading him to assert that the region must remain a “zone of peace, not a scene of military conflict.”
Additionally, Browne rejected the long-standing trade embargo against Cuba, characterizing the island’s inclusion on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism as a “hoax.” His comments highlight the regional tensions and the need for diplomatic engagement to foster stability.
Turning to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Browne denounced what he described as the “forced displacement of the population and the genocide” taking place, calling for urgent humanitarian aid and civilian protections. He expressed support for a two-state solution, envisioning peaceful coexistence for Israelis and Palestinians.
On climate change, Browne spotlighted its severe repercussions for island nations like Antigua and Barbuda. He advocated for a just energy transition and proposed a carbon tax targeting the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, underscoring the urgency to address illegal fishing and ocean pollution.
The Prime Minister also unveiled a proposal for a multidimensional vulnerability index aimed at facilitating financial assistance to developing countries, clarifying that small states seek equitable financing rather than charity. He warned against the “retreat of multilateralism, international law, and human rights,” noting that the world stands at a crucial juncture.
As the UN commemorates the 80th anniversary of its Charter, Browne underscored the ongoing pursuit of global unity, asserting, “Without international cooperation, universal peace will not be achieved.” He championed a law-based peace and restorative justice for nations grappling with the legacies of colonialism and slavery, framing justice as a principle of restitution for historical injustices rather than charity.
The U.S. national anthem declares the United States of America “the land of the free and the home of the brave”.
The Chinese national anthem claims no such thing. It starts by calling upon the people of China to rise up if they don’t wish to be slaves, but then describes them as a collective: “We are millions with one heart.”
Rugged individualists, really?
Indeed, Americans are supposed to be rugged individualists valuing their personal freedom and independence above all else.
Even Americans’ love of firearms, enshrined in the broadest possible interpretation of the words of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is always justified as a way to safeguard its rights and freedoms.
Just who is the obedient bunch?
While Americans are generally viewed as diverse and messy, the Chinese are deemed to be highly organized by the powers that be. Plus, supposedly they are all looking the same and march in step on command from their leader.
Given those assumptions widely held in the West, imposing any major policy on Americans therefore should be about as easy as herding cats.
Trump works his mind-numbing magic
But in just nine months since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Project 2025 has been imposed on the United States with a speed and efficiency that you would expect from China, not the U.S.
The U.S. Constitution and its presumably strong safeguards are being resolutely pushed aside, despite all the global bragging by just about by every American politician for the past 249 years.
“Gleichschaltung”, American style
At Germany’s disastrous turn to the Third Reich, big efforts were made to eradicate any sense of independence of the various branches of government and ensure that all other institutions, including cultural actors, were unmistakably aligned with the new totalitarian ideology.
Analysts of modern history must be shocked when they arrive at the utterly distasteful realization that there is evidence that Josef Goebbels operated at a slower pace and with more circumspection to implement his strategies to eradicate any resistance. It can be argued that he had to contend with more institutional resistance.
How the process of succumbing to Trumpism marched forward in the U.S.
Due process and habeas corpus have disappeared virtually overnight and the two co-equal branches of government, the legislative and judicial branch, became willingly subservient to the Executive.
Meanwhile, the freedom of the press has been severely curtailed by frivolous lawsuits and self-censorship and utter corporate spinelessness. Academic freedom, supposedly a financially very well-resourced bedrock of liberty and research in the United States, collapsed as universities caved in to grotesquely unrefined Trump administration pressure.
Finally, the courts and even the military have been weaponized against domestic political opponents.
Is this America’s much-touted exceptionalism?
Never mind that, to use a direct quote from the movie Cabaret, Trump got two extremely popular late-night TV comedians cancelled for the capital offense of ridiculing him. If they are guilty of anything, then it is for having picked on too easy a target.
All in all, America’s much-touted exceptionalism went down the drain at a stunning speed.
True, there have been protests and a bunch of lawsuits have been filed, but they have not given the men and women implementing Project 2025 as much as a hiccup.
Faster than Xi’s takeover
In a more contemporary context than early 1930s Germany, the collapse of American democracy happened faster than what it took Xi Jinping to install himself as a ruler for life in China.
Is there hope? Of course, Americans haven’t always been as obedient and ready to succumb to autocratic power as many of them are now.
Older people still remember the 1968 student takeover of the Columbia University campus, the same university that pusillanimously caved in to Trump’s pressure. There were also nationwide civil rights rallies, protests against the war in Vietnam, open dissent by individuals and politicians, and a free press that acted as a check on the powerful.
What a difference broader-based prosperity makes
But in the 1960s America was prosperous, jobs were plentiful and paid extremely well, while middle-class families could afford to send their kids even to the best colleges and not just college graduates had a realistic shot at acquiring a home.
The older generations were the valiant winners of World War II and the Baby Boomers were confident of their own future and wanted to make their society better.
It didn’t happen overnight
Of course, America’s transformation into a Western version of China didn’t happen overnight. The road to 2025 began in 1980, when the election of Ronald Reagan inaugurated the Decade of Greed.
Then came the concentration of corporate power in the 1990s, the emergence of an American police state in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, finally, the massive widening of the income gap between the rich and everyone else.
What is the same and what is different in China
True, under Xi, China fell once more under a one-man rule. But the Chinese people are on average wealthier than they have ever been and their global influence is rising.
Russia, once a communist “big brother”, is now a Chinese vassal state. Xi may be an authoritarian, but he is respected around the world.
Conclusion
The United States, in sharp contrast, succumbed to Project 2025 on its way down. The country — unlike its oligarchs — is becoming poorer, its allies are turning away and its president is a global buffoon.
Small wonder Americans pine away for the period of their greatness in the early post-World War II decades. The problem is that aside from donning Made in China(!) MAGA hats, they are mostly just fearful and brow-beaten to do anything about it.
Trump cancelled a planned Thursday meeting with Democratic leaders in Congress to try to avert a shutdown.
Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images
Unless Congress passes a funding bill, the US government will shut down on Wednesday.
That could lead to shuttered national parks, delayed flights, and mass firings of federal workers.
Here’s how we got here.
As of now, the US government is on track to shut down next week.
Republicans and Democrats haven’t agreed on a plan to fund the federal government past Tuesday, September 30, when current funding expires.
That means federal employees may be forced to work without pay (or fired), national parks and museums could close, and other important government functions could be suspended.
Here’s how we got here — and what could happen next.
Government funding requires agreement between the two parties
Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency — but they can’t fund the government through GOP votes alone.
That’s because in the Senate, most major bills require at least 60 votes to pass due to the “filibuster.” There are only 53 Republican senators, so they need Democratic votes to pass a government funding bill.
Both parties want to pass a short-term funding bill to give Congress more time to pass full government funding bills for next year.
Yet they remain at an impasse.
Democrats, under pressure from their base, are eager to use the process to extract concessions from Republicans — or at least demonstrate a willingness to fight.
Meanwhile, Republicans have refused to negotiate with Democrats, despite the need to earn their votes.
That refusal includes President Donald Trump, who cancelled a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that had been slated for Thursday.
“If it has to shut down, it’ll have to shut down,” Trump told reporters on Friday, saying that Democrats are “the ones that are shutting down the government.”
Democrats and Republicans have competing funding proposals
As of now, there are two competing proposals to fund the government and avert a shutdown.
The Republican bill would continue government funding at current levels through November 21, along with an increase in security funding for lawmakers in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk.
The Democratic bill would fund the government through October 31, and includes several provisions that Republicans are unlikely to accept, including a reversal of Medicaid cuts enacted in the “Big Beautiful Bill” and a permanent extension of government subsidies that support the Affordable Care Act.
If the Medicaid cuts proceed and the subsidies are not extended, millions of Americans are projected to lose their health coverage in the coming years.
Earlier this month, the GOP funding bill passed the House largely along party lines but stalled in the Senate, failing to reach the necessary 60 votes to pass.
The Democratic bill only received a vote in the Senate, where it also failed.
What happens when the government shuts down
It’s still somewhat unclear what will happen if the government shuts down next week.
While funding runs out for much of the government, programs funded through so-called “mandatory spending,” including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, will continue to be funded.
Federal employees are not paid for the duration of the shutdown, though they’re guaranteed to receive backpay once it’s over. Some workers could be “furloughed” — essentially placed on a leave of absence — while others will be forced to continue to work.
The Trump administration has signaled that there could be more mass firings if the government shuts down. Some top Democrats have been dismissive, calling it an “attempt at intimidation” while noting that Trump has already fired hundreds of thousands of people.
The administration has broad discretion in how the federal government operates under a shutdown, but aside from the potential firings, it has not yet laid out what will happen.
During previous shutdowns, national parks and museums have been forced to shutter. With air traffic controls and TSA employees working without pay, flight delays are possible.
There’s also an economic impact: The Congressional Budget Office estimated that during a five-week shutdown that ended in early 2019, real gross domestic product was reduced by $3 billion.
