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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Nicola Slawson

First Thing: US House committee releases more than 33,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein files

James Comer speaks with the press at the US Capitol.
The House oversight and government reform committee chair, James Comer, speaks with the press at the US Capitol on Tuesday. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty

Good morning.

The US House of Representatives oversight committee yesterday released thousands of pages of records related to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from the Department of Justice.

The Trump administration has been embroiled in months of controversy over its decision not to release additional files in the case. Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges and was alleged to have abused hundreds of girls.

The 33,000 pages included years-old court filings related to Epstein and his former girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as what appears to be bodycam footage from police searches and police interviews.

  • Is there anything new in them? The files appear to contain information that is already public knowledge.

  • What has Donald Trump said? Trump, a longtime friend of Epstein and part of his rich and powerful social circle, has, in recent weeks, tried to avoid the subject. Earlier this year he sued the Wall Street Journal for its reporting on his relationship with Epstein.

Xi Jinping says world faces ‘peace or war’, as Putin and Kim join him for military parade

Xi Jinping said the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China’s largest-ever military parade, joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in a show of defiance to the west.

Putin and Kim, the authoritarian leaders of Russia and North Korea, were among dozens of world leaders who attended the parade, a big display of military hardware and personnel, orchestrated to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

  • What did Xi say? “Today, humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told the crowd of more than 50,000 spectators, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.

  • Who else was there? Kim’s daughter made her first international public appearance in Beijing, adding to speculation that she is being groomed to become the first female ruler of North Korea.

Pedro Sánchez: Europe and the west’s response to war in Gaza has been a failure

Europe and the west’s double standards over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza threaten to undermine its global standing, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said, describing the response to Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory as one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century.

In an interview with the Guardian before talks with the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, in London today, the socialist leader said the US under Donald Trump was trying to end the post-second world war, rules-based global order it had originally created.

  • What else did he say? He defended the benefits of migration and blamed traditional rightwing parties for breaking the consensus over the response to the climate emergency by copying the policies of their populist rivals.

In other news …

Stat of the day: Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano erupts, shooting lava 330ft into the sky

Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano resumed erupting yesterday, firing lava 330ft (100 meters) into the sky from its summit crater. It’s the 32nd episode of the volcano releasing molten rock since December 2024, when its current eruption began.

Don’t miss this: Meet the revenge quitters who are ditching their jobs and refusing to go quietly

The phenomenon of “revenge quitting”, where frustrated or unhappy employees show how they really feel about their workplaces, is on the rise. From marching bands to TikTok takedowns, employees are resigning in spectacular fashion. While going viral seems risky, some find it opens new doors, they tell Sammy Gescoyler.

… or this: Why trans art matters more than ever – ‘It reflects how people live and love’

After the controversy over Amy Sherald’s portrait of a trans Statue of Liberty, whichthe Smithsonian attempted to censor over fears of offending Donald Trump, trans artists discuss why they feel their work speaks to an important moment.

Climate check: Trump team’s contentious climate report ‘makes a mockery of science’, experts say

A group of leading climate scientists in the US have compiled a withering review of a controversial Trump administration report, which downplays the risks of the climate crisis. They found that the document was biased, riddled with errors and lacked basic scientific credibility.

Last Thing: Brazil’s love motels ditch erotic decor to host climate summit

Before November’s Cop30 summit, love motels in Belém are scrambling to remodel, including the Love Lomas Pousada, where summit delegates received an email from reception before check-in asking: “Our rooms feature erotic chairs. Would you like to have it removed?”

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