Clear filters Clear Filters
‘I’m not walking away,’ says Starmer despite defence secretary’s exit
The Guardian

‘I’m not walking away,’ says Starmer despite defence secretary’s exit

PM promises to fight any leadership challenge, saying any successor would face same problems as himUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has said he knows he has to “turn things around” after a series of crises culminating in the resignation of John Healey, the defence secretary, but warned that any successor would face the same difficult decisions.In an interview with the BBC after Healey...

Tornadoes rip through central US while extreme heat and humidity creep into the north-east
The Guardian

Tornadoes rip through central US while extreme heat and humidity creep into the north-east

One man died in Iowa after a tree fell on him as nearly 700 severe weather events were recorded over three daysSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAn Illinois man whose home was destroyed by a tornado on Thursday was pulled from the rubble by a police officer and a photojournalist, who captured the terrifying storm and subsequent rescue in dramatic video footage.Scott Lasker, who desc...

Spain’s former PM faces tax fraud inquiry as police find €1.3m of jewellery
The Guardian

Spain’s former PM faces tax fraud inquiry as police find €1.3m of jewellery

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, already under investigation for alleged influence-peddling, facing questions over items found in office safeThe former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is being investigated for possible tax fraud and smuggling after police discovered jewellery valued at more than €1.3m (£1.1m) while searching his office safe as part of a separate inquiry.Zapatero, ...

Healey showdown raises fresh questions over Starmer-Reeves power dynamic
The Guardian

Healey showdown raises fresh questions over Starmer-Reeves power dynamic

Former defence secretary’s accusation, that PM lacks impetus and is easily swayed by chancellor’s demands, is familiar territoryOne of the most scathing accusations made by John Healey in his resignation letter on Thursday was that the prime minister lacks the authority to stand up to his chancellor.“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation...

‘I only had this father, and he’s gone’: Wafa Mustafa’s fight for truth and justice for Syria’s missing

‘I only had this father, and he’s gone’: Wafa Mustafa’s fight for truth and justice for Syria’s missing

The Guardian

With more than 177,000 people forcibly disappeared since 2011, short doc Maybe Tomorrow captures ‘the violence of waiting’ experienced by familyWhen Wafa Mustafa was a child, she remembers her father playing the music of Umm Kulthum non-stop at home in Syria, humming along to the legendary Egyptian singer’s melodic tones. One day, in an effort to encourage his daughter to appreciate music, he aske...

Middle East crisis live: Trump says Iran’s version of peace deal has ‘no relation to the truth’

Middle East crisis live: Trump says Iran’s version of peace deal has ‘no relation to the truth’

The Guardian

Iran earlier released a list of terms it said were in a draft memorandum of understanding with the USIran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has cautioned against media speculation about a potential memorandum of understanding to end the war, particularly on claims regarding the strait of Hormuz.IRNA reported that Iran will not surrender its control of the strategic waterway and the US...

France accuses Israeli firm of interfering in Scottish elections and targeting SNP

France accuses Israeli firm of interfering in Scottish elections and targeting SNP

The Guardian

Cyber agency says BlackCore targeted John Swinney, as well as interfering in France, New York and elsewhereFrance’s cyber-security agency has accused an Israeli firm called BlackCore of interfering in the Scottish elections earlier this year by targeting the first minister, John Swinney.The disinformation detection agency Viginum said BlackCore had used proxy social media accounts to target Swinne...

‘I’m not going away,’ says Keir Starmer despite defence secretary’s exit

‘I’m not going away,’ says Keir Starmer despite defence secretary’s exit

The Guardian

PM promises to fight any leadership challenge, saying any successor would face same problems as himUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has said he knows he has to “turn things around” after a series of crises culminating in the resignation of John Healey, the defence secretary, but warned that any successor would face the same set of difficult decisions.In an interview with the BBC after...

Fire at California warehouse complex prompts evacuations as authorities fight blaze

Fire at California warehouse complex prompts evacuations as authorities fight blaze

The Guardian

No injuries reported as fire in Tracy destroys medical equipment warehouse and authorities investigate causeA fire at a 1m sq ft warehouse complex was burning out of control in California early Friday as authorities fought to tamp the large blaze and began investigating the cause.The raging inferno was pumping thick black smoke up in billowing clouds as flame and a red hot glow were visible beneat...

An ideological tug-of-war: the pressures facing Iran’s World Cup squad in US

An ideological tug-of-war: the pressures facing Iran’s World Cup squad in US

The Guardian

Flag bans, travel headaches and a religious regime video among bumps in road, as team prepares to be first to play in country with which it is at warIran will present a major challenge to Fifa’s “football unites the world” slogan on Monday by becoming the first country in World Cup history to compete on the soil of a host nation with which it is at war.The national team’s opening match against New...

‘Where can we find hope?’: your questions about the US supreme court’s voting rights decision answered

‘Where can we find hope?’: your questions about the US supreme court’s voting rights decision answered

The Guardian

Guardian reporters Fabiola Cineas and Adria Walker held a Reddit Q&A about Louisiana v Callais – here’s a rundownIn April, the supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais struck a massive blow to the Voting Rights Act, eliminating a key provision that gave minority voters representation in Congress.Within days of the decision, Republican-led states in the south moved to redraw congressiona...

Iran to become first World Cup team to play in country with which it is at war

Iran to become first World Cup team to play in country with which it is at war

The Guardian

Belligerent backdrop to tournament tests Fifa’s ‘football unites the world’ sloganIran will present a major challenge to Fifa’s “football unites the world” slogan on Monday by becoming the first country in World Cup history to compete on the soil of a host nation with which it is at war.The national team’s opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles will kick off amid continuing hostilities b...

Reeves grudgingly resorts to departmental salami slicing to fund UK defence budget

Reeves grudgingly resorts to departmental salami slicing to fund UK defence budget

The Guardian

Starmer shows no will to pursue the main options for rising commitments: spending cuts, tax rises or borrowingWhen Keir Starmer wanted to promise Donald Trump that the UK would increase defence spending, he decided to fund it by slashing the UK’s aid budget – losing a cabinet minister, Anneliese Dodds, in the process.This time around, with John Healey’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) demanding an addit...

Middle East crisis live: Tehran would not cede control of Hormuz in deal with US, Iran state media report

Middle East crisis live: Tehran would not cede control of Hormuz in deal with US, Iran state media report

The Guardian

Iran and the US said the countries are discussing draft text to a deal but there are still some key differences to overcomeFull report: Trump claims US and Iran on verge of signing peace agreementIran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has cautioned against media speculation about a potential memorandum of understanding to end the war, particularly on claims regarding the strait of Hor...

Starmer defends investment on defence as he vows to fight any leadership challenge – UK politics live

Starmer defends investment on defence as he vows to fight any leadership challenge – UK politics live

The Guardian

The prime minister defended the ‘hard-edged decisions’ he has made to cut funding from other departments to spend more on defenceAs armed forces minister, Al Carns was not involved in work on the defence investment plan (Dip). In his resignation letter, he said it was flawed not just because of the amount of funding involved; he also claimed it focused too much on the wrong capability. He said (an...

David Hockney, revolutionary British artist famed for his pools and portraits, dies aged 88

David Hockney, revolutionary British artist famed for his pools and portraits, dies aged 88

The Guardian

Bradford-born painter, who made his name with sunkissed visions of California and never stopped breaking barriers, going on to become one of contemporary art’s most important figures, has died• ‘David Hockney caught the look of the modern world’• David Hockney’s life in picturesDavid Hockney, the iconic British painter who cast a revolutionary gaze across 20th-century art, has died aged 88.He made...

Women held at much-denounced ICE detention camp sign on to hunger strike

Women held at much-denounced ICE detention camp sign on to hunger strike

The Guardian

Nearly 40 women detained at Delaney Hall join striking men and outline demands ‘rooted in basic human rights’ Dozens of women detained inside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey announced their participation in a hunger and labor strike, advocates announced on Thursday.The women, detained in unit 1 of the contentious privately run facility, also released a new list of dem...

Women held at much-denounced Ice detention camp sign on to hunger strike

Women held at much-denounced Ice detention camp sign on to hunger strike

The Guardian

Nearly 40 women detained at Delaney Hall join striking men and outline demands ‘rooted in basic human rights’ Dozens of women detained inside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey announced their participation in a hunger and labor strike, advocates announced on Thursday.The women, detained in unit 1 of the contentious privately run facility, also released a new list of dem...

Palestinian football chief says US denied him visa to attend World Cup

Palestinian football chief says US denied him visa to attend World Cup

The Guardian

Jibril Rajoub attended opening match in Mexico but becomes latest football official hit by US visa issues, he saysThe head of the Palestinian Football Association has said he is unable to travel to the United States with other federation heads attending the 2026 Fifa World Cup because he has not been issued a visa.Jibril Rajoub went to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico Ci...

US-Iran peace deal remains elusive as choice of US targets draws legal questions | First Thing

US-Iran peace deal remains elusive as choice of US targets draws legal questions | First Thing

The Guardian

Trump claims strikes called off as deal is close, but Tehran denies agreement near, while legal experts question if US targets may be a war crime. Plus 20 years of Taylor Swift’s incredible influence on pop cultureGood morning. Yesterday, Donald Trump spent the day promising he was going to hit Iran harder than ever before, then announced – again – that the US and Iran were close to signing a deal...

Oil prices plummet as Trump claims he is close to US-Iran deal

Oil prices plummet as Trump claims he is close to US-Iran deal

The Guardian

Brent crude falls as optimism rises strait of Hormuz could reopen over the weekendBusiness live – latest updatesGlobal oil prices fell on Friday to lows not seen since the first week of the Iran crisis after Donald Trump claimed he was close to reaching a peace deal with Tehran.The price of Brent crude began to tumble from about $93 a barrel in overnight trade after the US president called off fur...

Digested week: Starmer is trying to carve out his legacy – but it’s not his to write | John Crace

Digested week: Starmer is trying to carve out his legacy – but it’s not his to write | John Crace

The Guardian

Plus, Brexit at 10, dinner as protest, 100 best novels and not watching the World Cup (yet)We’re approaching the 10-year anniversary of the Brexit referendum. Documentaries are being aired and newspaper features are being written. But one thing seems to be missing. Why aren’t all those big names who campaigned for Brexit back in 2016 now shouting from the rooftops about what a great success it has...

Autistic children injected with unapproved stem cell treatments supported by RFK Jr

Autistic children injected with unapproved stem cell treatments supported by RFK Jr

The Guardian

Desperate US parents pay up to $20,000 a session for a procedure scientists say could be bogusAutistic children as young as 18 months old are being injected with human stem cells derived from umbilical cords in unapproved, unproven and potentially harmful “treatments” that scientists warn are proliferating across the US under the active encouragement of the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr...

Fisa spy powers almost certain to expire after Congress fails to act – US politics live

Fisa spy powers almost certain to expire after Congress fails to act – US politics live

The Guardian

Law due to expire at midnight tonight following unhappiness over Trump’s pick for intelligence chiefA key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) is due to expire on Friday night amid a backlash to Trump’s announcement that Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a major Republican donor, would be acting DNI.While Trump has moved to contain the furor – anno...

Armed forces minister called for ‘new way of governing’ in resignation letter to Starmer – UK politics live

Armed forces minister called for ‘new way of governing’ in resignation letter to Starmer – UK politics live

The Guardian

John Healey and Al Carns resigned from their ministerial positions on Thursday over the government’s defence investment planAs armed forces minister, Al Carns was not involved in work on the defence investment plan (Dip). In his resignation letter, he said it was flawed not just because of the amount of funding involved; he also claimed it focused too much on the wrong capability. He said (and I’v...

China arrests US academic at conference for ‘espionage activities’

China arrests US academic at conference for ‘espionage activities’

The Guardian

Arrest of Min Zin, who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy, comes just month after Trump visit to BeijingChina has arrested a US scholar who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy on suspicion of spying.Min Zin was suspected of “engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security,” China’s ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, Lin Jian, said on Friday....

Barclays to buy GoHenry kids’ debit card and money app

Barclays to buy GoHenry kids’ debit card and money app

The Guardian

High street bank to buy UK business from US fintech company Acorns as it targets young peopleBusiness live – latest updatesBarclays is to buy an app designed to help children understand and manage their money, as it targets young people in affluent families.The high street bank has agreed to buy the UK business of GoHenry, which provides children with personalised debit cards carrying their name, ...

A powerful US surveillance law is set to expire – what happens now?

A powerful US surveillance law is set to expire – what happens now?

The Guardian

Congress has failed to reauthorize section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amid questions over its futureDonald Trump’s bid to install a controversial ally as the country’s leading intelligence official has shone a light on the wide reach of a powerful surveillance law, and raised questions over its future.Privacy advocates say it deserves scrutiny, and reform, regardless of who the U...

David Hockney, revolutionary British artist, dies aged 88

David Hockney, revolutionary British artist, dies aged 88

The Guardian

Bradford-born painter, who made his name with sun-kissed visions of California, has died• Tribute: ‘David Hockney caught the look of the modern world’• David Hockney’s life in picturesDavid Hockney, the iconic British painter who cast a revolutionary gaze across 20th-century art, has died aged 88.He made his name as a pop artist during the swinging 60s and was perhaps best known for his paintings ...