Regional news

An Israeli airstrike on a police vehicle in Gaza City killed at least four people, including a three-year-old child.

US president says the country is ‘inclined’ to go to Pakistan for more talks; Israel and Lebanon enter direct negotiations in Washington for the first time since 1990sUS starts naval blockade of Iranian ports after deadline passesSouth Korean president Lee Jae Myung has said rising tensions around the strait of Hormuz make it hard to be optimistic about the fallout from the Iran war, warning that high oil prices and supply-chain strains are likely to persist for some time.Lee told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday the government should treat prolonged disruption in global energy and raw materials markets as a given and reinforce its emergency response system.For the time being, difficulties in global energy and raw materials supply chains and high oil prices will continue … I ask that we pursue the development of alternative supply chains, medium- to long-term industrial restructuring, and the transition to a post-plastic economy as top-priority national strategic projects.”Lebanon and Israel have been at war in some form since the early 1980s. You’re not allowed to enter Lebanon if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport. The two don’t have diplomatic relations. So the fact that these talks are happening directly between the two governments is something that’s really astonishing. Continue reading...

Higher global inflation forecast at 4.4 percent, up 0.6 points, driven by surging oil, gas and fertiliser costs.

Experts say climate pattern could supercharge extreme weather events and push temperatures to record highsThere is a high likelihood that the phenomenon known as “El Niño” will emerge this summer – and it could be exceptionally strong. A so-called “super El Niño” could supercharge extreme weather events and push global temperatures to record heights next year if it develops, according to experts.Meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the climate patterns developing in the Pacific Ocean that will enable stronger predictions about what’s to come in the year ahead. Continue reading...

Measure by Jamie Raskin follows statements by Trump about annihilating Iran and post depicting himself as JesusSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHouse Democrats on Tuesday proposed creating a commission that would work with JD Vance to remove Donald Trump from office under the 25th amendment, should they determine he is no longer fit to serve.The measure, introduced by Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, follows a series of statements from Trump, including his recent warning that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” if it did not capitulate to his demands, and a social media post that depicted him as Jesus Christ. Continue reading...

With the army’s size halved since the cold war, UK ambitions to be globally deployable do not match the reality, experts say Middle East crisis – live updatesIf Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a wake-up call for Nato, the war in the Gulf has brought some harsh realities home to the British public about the state of the UK’s armed forces.While air defence systems and fighter jets were already in place or deployed relatively swiftly, the time it took to send a single destroyer to Cyprus in the form of HMS Dragon focused minds on Britain’s military readiness and capabilities. Continue reading...

The Judicial Panel’s conclusion on Mr Khan’s case should not be discarded because some parties find it inconvenient.

Warsh's financial disclosures will almost certainly be a focus of his upcoming confirmation hearing next week.

Israel's ambassador to the US said Lebanon revealed a mutual desire to be liberated from Hezbollah.

Supply of humanitarian aid for people displaced by the conflict has been complicated by air and sea route closures.

Refugee Council criticises Labour’s decision, saying military sites are unsuitable and ‘more expensive than hotels’Hundreds of asylum seekers have been removed from government-funded hotels while others have been sent to live in army barracks, the Home Office has announced.Eleven “asylum hotels” in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been closed, as first reported by the Guardian, and more will close “in the coming weeks”. About 350 claimants have been moved to the Crowborough military camp in east Sussex, described by a spokesperson as “basic accommodation”. Continue reading...

Polls show Israeli public frustration over a showdown that did not fully defeat Iran.