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Ukraine ‘entirely justified’ to plan strikes against Russian energy and military targets after Kyiv attacks, Zelenskyy says – as it happpened
The Guardian

Ukraine ‘entirely justified’ to plan strikes against Russian energy and military targets after Kyiv attacks, Zelenskyy says – as it happpened

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereMeanwhile, the Latvian president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has begun political consultations aimed at finding a parliamentary majority capable of forming a new government after the collapse of prime minister Evika Siliņa’s administration.Rinkēvičs’s office posted a short video from the meeting on its social media. Continue reading...

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran’s claims of joint strait of Hormuz plan
The Guardian

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran’s claims of joint strait of Hormuz plan

Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting shipsOman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with the Gulf state over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans to impose fees on commercial shipping.The Omani exclave of Musandam lies to the south of the contested wa...

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran claims of joint strait of Hormuz plan
The Guardian

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran claims of joint strait of Hormuz plan

Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting shipsOman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with the Gulf state over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans to impose fees on commercial shipping.The Omani exclave of Musandam lies to the south of the contested wa...

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran claims joint strait of Hormuz plan
The Guardian

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran claims joint strait of Hormuz plan

Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting shipsOman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with Muscat over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans – opposed by the US – for fees to be paid by commercial shipping to a new Iranian government agency.The Omani exc...

Iran says it and Oman are coordinating future management of strait of Hormuz

Iran says it and Oman are coordinating future management of strait of Hormuz

The Guardian

Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting shipsOman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with Muscat over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans – opposed by the US – for fees to be paid by commercial shipping to a new Iranian government agency.The Omani exc...

Greens suggest they will properly contest byelection, in blow to Burnham

Greens suggest they will properly contest byelection, in blow to Burnham

The Guardian

Statement follows speculation party would not field candidate in Makerfield or barely fight seat UK politics live – latest updatesThe Greens are going to campaign for the Makerfield byelection, complicating Andy Burnham’s potential route back to parliament against what is expected to be a strong Reform UK challenge.A statement from the Greens said candidate selection was in process and that the pa...

FTSE 100-listed insurer Hiscox’s shares leap amid report of takeover bid

FTSE 100-listed insurer Hiscox’s shares leap amid report of takeover bid

The Guardian

Canada’s Intact Financial Corp is said to be exploring offer, as London-listed Tate & Lyle attracts US suitorShares in Hiscox surged to record highs on Friday as it became the latest UK takeover target after a flurry of overseas bids for British businesses this week.Canada’s Intact Financial Corp, which provides property and casualty insurance, is said to be exploring a potential takeover of L...

South Carolina governor orders special redistricting session after state senators defied Trump – US politics live

South Carolina governor orders special redistricting session after state senators defied Trump – US politics live

The Guardian

Move comes after state senators bucked demands to gerrymander congressional map following supreme court’s voting rights act decimationSign up for the Breaking News US emailJamieson Greer also said US export controls on semiconductor chips were not a major topic of discussions with Chinese officials in Beijing.The US trade representative’s comments to Bloomberg on Friday suggest a breakthrough on s...

Labor leaders call collective bargaining veto a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor

Labor leaders call collective bargaining veto a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor

The Guardian

Union leaders say veto from Democrat Abigail Spanberger is an about-face from promises she made on campaign trailVirginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have restored collective bargaining rights for 50,000 public sector workers in the state. Union leaders say the veto is a “betrayal” and “slap in the face” after the governor campaigned last year on...

Labor leaders call veto of collective bargaining bill a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor

Labor leaders call veto of collective bargaining bill a ‘betrayal’ by Virginia governor

The Guardian

Union leaders say veto from Democrat Abigail Spanberger is an about-face from promises she made on campaign trailVirginia’s Democratic governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed a bill Thursday that would have restored collective bargaining rights for 50,000 public sector workers in the state. Union leaders say the veto is a “betrayal” and “slap in the face” after the governor campaigned last year on prom...

Belle and Sebastian write Scotland anthem after dramatic World Cup qualifier

Belle and Sebastian write Scotland anthem after dramatic World Cup qualifier

The Guardian

Lead singer Stuart Murdoch’s self-deprecating It Only Takes One Lion is inspired by team’s current song, Yes Sir, I Can BoogieThe lyrics came to Stuart Murdoch in the hazy aftermath of Scotland’s dramatic qualification for the World Cup.The Belle and Sebastian frontman had watched his side’s playoff victory over Denmark through his fingers before deciding to write his own anthem to a team he has f...

Ministers have no authority to withhold Mandelson vetting file, committee says

Ministers have no authority to withhold Mandelson vetting file, committee says

The Guardian

Group of MPs and peers in effect accuse government of failing to comply with parliament’s will over release of filesA powerful parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing files relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador has revealed that the government is withholding his vetting file despite not having the authority to do so.In an extraordinary intervention, the intelligence and ...

Czech police find stolen skull of medieval saint encased in concrete

Czech police find stolen skull of medieval saint encased in concrete

The Guardian

Man arrested after admitting to taking relic from church and planning to throw it in river, say policeAn 800-year-old relic believed to be the skull of Saint Zdislava, stolen this week from a Czech church, has been recovered encased in concrete as experts work to extract it, police have said.A suspect has been arrested, who allegedly confessed to taking the skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from ...

Erling Haaland to make film acting debut – as a Viking called Haaland

Erling Haaland to make film acting debut – as a Viking called Haaland

The Guardian

The Manchester City striker will feature in Viqueens, an animated film by director Harald Zwart, who described him as ‘powerful, fearless and uniquely Norwegian’Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is to make his feature acting debut, in an animated film as the voice of a Viking – called Haaland.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Norwegian international is to play “an animated version of h...

Angus Taylor says migrants are a ‘net drain’ on Australia. The numbers say the opposite is true

Angus Taylor says migrants are a ‘net drain’ on Australia. The numbers say the opposite is true

The Guardian

Migrants are generally younger than the average Australian, are skilled and more educated. And they typically pay more tax than they receive in benefitsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAngus Taylor’s thinly veiled attempt to paint migrants as bludgers is not supported by the facts. The typical migrant over their lifetimes pays more in taxes than they receive in government...

Secret documents reveal preferred Australian nuclear submarine base – and warn it could be a military target

Secret documents reveal preferred Australian nuclear submarine base – and warn it could be a military target

The Guardian

Port Kembla residents will likely resist base due to risk of nuclear accident and potential as target for ‘military adversaries’, documents stateGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA proposed nuclear submarine base in Port Kembla “could be a target for Australian military adversaries”, previously secret New South Wales government documents have revealed.The documents, prepar...

Mali’s forces target rebel alliance in junta’s fight to keep power

Mali’s forces target rebel alliance in junta’s fight to keep power

The Guardian

Army supported by Russian mercenaries launches airstrikes after offensive by coalition of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatistsMali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, have launched airstrikes targeting a rebel alliance of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists as the ruling junta struggles to maintain its hold on power in the unstable west African country.Earlier this week ...

Far-right activists barred from UK before Tommy Robinson rally

Far-right activists barred from UK before Tommy Robinson rally

The Guardian

Keir Starmer accuses Robinson of ‘peddling hatred and division’ and archbishop of Canterbury urges people to ‘choose hope’ Eleven foreign far-right activists have been blocked from the UK before a rally by Tommy Robinson supporters as Keir Starmer accused him of “peddling hatred and division”.The archbishop of Canterbury urged people to “choose hope”, and faith leaders spoke out before the rally ...

Ukraine ‘entirely justified’ to plan strikes against Russian energy and military targets after Kyiv attacks, Zelenskyy says – Europe live

Ukraine ‘entirely justified’ to plan strikes against Russian energy and military targets after Kyiv attacks, Zelenskyy says – Europe live

The Guardian

Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing war crimes after latest strikes on Ukraine killed at least 24Meanwhile, the Latvian president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has begun political consultations aimed at finding a parliamentary majority capable of forming a new government after the collapse of prime minister Evika Siliņa’s administration.Rinkēvičs’s office posted a short video from the meeting on its socia...

Rivals actor Katherine Parkinson lauds series for depicting women’s view of sex

Rivals actor Katherine Parkinson lauds series for depicting women’s view of sex

The Guardian

Bafta winner tells preview screening in Bristol there is not enough on television about the female perspectiveThe Bafta-winning actor Katherine Parkinson has lauded the television series Rivals for its “radical” depiction of sex from a woman’s perspective.Speaking at a preview screening in Bristol, where much of the series was filmed, Parkinson, who plays the romance author Lizzie Vereker in the s...

Czech police find stolen skull of 13th-century saint and arrest man

Czech police find stolen skull of 13th-century saint and arrest man

The Guardian

Man admits to coating relic in concrete after taking it from church because he objected to it being displayed, police sayCzech police have found the skull of a 13th-century saint, days after it was stolen from a church in the north of the country.Police said they had arrested a suspect, who they said admitted to taking the skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a glass shrine in the basilica of S...

Far-right activists barred from UK ahead of Tommy Robinson rally

Far-right activists barred from UK ahead of Tommy Robinson rally

The Guardian

Keir Starmer accuses Robinson of ‘peddling hatred and division’ and archbishop of Canterbury urges people to ‘choose hope’ Eleven foreign far-right activists have been blocked from the UK ahead of a rally by Tommy Robinson supporters as Keir Starmer accused him of “peddling hatred and division”.The archbishop of Canterbury also urged people to “choose hope”, and faith leaders spoke out before the...

Voting Rights Act ruling is ‘red meat’ to Republicans in south, says Black lawmaker targeted by gerrymander

Voting Rights Act ruling is ‘red meat’ to Republicans in south, says Black lawmaker targeted by gerrymander

The Guardian

Mississippi politicians are threatening to redraw the district of Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democrat in CongressThe supreme court decision that effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) “was red meat to the Republican legislators of the south” the US House representative Bennie Thompson said.Conservative lawmakers in Mississippi, where Thompson is both the state’s lone Black and only ...

What was actually achieved at Trump and Xi’s ‘stalemate summit’ in Beijing?

What was actually achieved at Trump and Xi’s ‘stalemate summit’ in Beijing?

The Guardian

US president said he and Chinese leader ‘settled a lot of different problems’ but gave little detail on solutionsTrump China visit live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s whirlwind trip to Beijing – the first US presidential visit in nearly a decade – wrapped up with much fanfare but little clarity about what was actually achieved.Trump said on Friday that he and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, “settled a...

Pound heads for worst week in 18 months as Burnham lines up Labour bid

Pound heads for worst week in 18 months as Burnham lines up Labour bid

The Guardian

UK government borrowing costs jump amid political uncertainty and oil price rise that fuelled inflation worriesBusiness live – latest updatesThe pound was heading for its worst week in 18 months on Friday as City traders anticipated that the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, could face a challenge from the Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, later this year.After days of uncertainty over Starmer’s futu...

Tories suspend leader at Worcestershire council after he made deal to oust Reform

Tories suspend leader at Worcestershire council after he made deal to oust Reform

The Guardian

Adam Kent suspended after Tory councillors joined forces with Greens and Lib Dems to end Reform’s minority controlThe Conservatives have suspended the party’s leader at Worcestershire county council after he made a deal with the Greens and Liberal Democrats to oust Reform.Reform UK gained control of the council a year ago but its tenure has been marked by a series of controversies and political in...

A billionaire, a taco, reality TV: the top 4 attack lines in California’s elections

A billionaire, a taco, reality TV: the top 4 attack lines in California’s elections

The Guardian

With the primary election less than three weeks away, the gubernatorial and mayoral races have taken a fiery turnSparring on the debate stage, well-timed statements addressing the slightest misstep by an opponent and countless social media jabs: election season is heating up in California’s major primaries.With the primary election less than three weeks away, the gubernatorial and mayoral races ha...

Trump leaves China without breakthroughs on Iran, Taiwan or AI

Trump leaves China without breakthroughs on Iran, Taiwan or AI

The Guardian

US president hails ‘fantastic’ deals, but details remain scarce after pageantry and little progress at much-hyped summit with XiTrump in China – latest updatesDonald Trump left China on Friday after a much-hyped summit of the world’s two major powers that was rich in pageantry and promises of stability, but offered little by way of tangible progress.The US president had gone into the two-day talks...

X to block UK access to accounts linked to terrorist groups in Ofcom agreement

X to block UK access to accounts linked to terrorist groups in Ofcom agreement

The Guardian

Media regulator announces commitments by Elon Musk’s platform to crack down on terrorist and hate contentElon Musk’s X platform has pledged to block UK access to accounts linked to banned terrorist groups under an agreement with the communications regulator to crack down on terrorist and hate content.X will also review suspected illegal terrorist and hate content within 48 hours and seek expert ad...