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London council seizes social housing flat rented by Sierra Leone first lady

Sundus Abdi — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:19:15 GMT

Fatima Jabbe-Bio kept tenancy in Southwark despite living for much of year at presidential lodge in Freetown

A social housing flat rented by Sierra Leone’s first lady has been seized by a London council.

Southwark council confirmed it had repossessed the two-bedroom home in Walworth previously occupied by Fatima Jabbe-Bio, whose tenancy was reported by the Times last year.

Trump targeting immigrants from countries hit most by climate shocks

Oliver Milman — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:20 GMT

A Guardian analysis reveals how most of 39 countries facing US entry restrictions are most vulnerable environmentally

‘Every day it’s more barriers’: how the US is shutting out climate refugees

Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is largely targeting people from the countries most vulnerable to displacement from climate-driven disasters, a Guardian analysis shows.

As the Trump administration pushes policies to boost planet-heating fossil fuels, millions of people are being forced to flee their homelands due to storms, floods and droughts worsened by the climate crisis.

Global brands ‘likely’ using mineral that funds rebels accused of atrocities in DRC, investigation finds

Mark Townsend — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 05:00:11 GMT

Amazon and Sony among firms that may have sourced coltan, used in phones, from supply chains controlled by the M23 rebels, says Global Witness

Leading global brands including Amazon, Ericsson and Sony are “likely” to have sourced minerals linked to a militia accused of widespread sexual violence, summary executions and torture, a new investigation claims.

The companies allegedly, but unknowingly, acquired coltan smuggled from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that are occupied by the M23 militia, which has committed myriad atrocities in eastern DRC.

Man shot dead during protest against proposed US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya

Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi and agencies — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:13:20 GMT

Police dispersed demonstrators in Nanyuki, 120 miles from Nairobi, amid rising anger at US plans

Kenyan police have shot dead a man during a protest against a proposed Ebola quarantine facility for US citizens.

Patrick Wahome, who has organised protests in Nanyuki against the centre, told Reuters on Tuesday the man died from a gunshot wound to the head. Reporters from the agency saw his body lying motionless in a police van with a large head wound.

Bandits in north-west Nigeria abduct villagers they invited to discuss peace talks

Serena Richards and agencies — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:13:44 GMT

Thirty-nine people taken near Magamin Diddi village in Maradun municipality, north-west Zamfara state, police say

Armed bandits in north-west Nigeria abducted dozens of villagers whom they invited to a meeting about potential peace negotiations, authorities and residents said on Monday, highlighting the region’s worsening security.

According to local police, 39 people were seized on Sunday during a meeting in the forest near Magamin Diddi village in the Maradun municipality of north-west Zamfara state. But some residents and officials believe the number of those abducted could be as high as 50.

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

Robert Tait in Washington — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:00:45 GMT

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 war

Iran 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 between Iran and the US that have intensified in recent days, as a fragile ceasefire has failed to hold and attempts at reaching a negotiated settlement have sputtered.

Weather tracker: heat, humidity and thunderstorms a danger at World Cup

Brendan Wood for MetDesk — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 08:40:14 GMT

With matches in 16 cities across the US, Mexico and Canada, players and fans face an array of weather-related challenges

With the 2026 World Cup now under way, all 48 teams face a common opposition: summer weather across North America. Matches will be played in 16 cities, from southern Mexico to Canada, with a range of weather risks possible at each venue.

Thunderstorms disrupted play before the tournament had even begun. England’s warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando was delayed by about an hour after storms brought lightning and heavy rain that waterlogged the pitch. Safety regulations at US venues mean play is suspended when lightning is recorded within roughly 8 miles of a stadium, not resuming until 30 minutes after the last strike.

Canadian mother sues OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT led her daughter to kill herself

Blake Montgomery and agency — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:14:46 GMT

Suit filed in US alleges chatbot told Alice Carrier, 24, ‘maybe this is just the end’ as she struggled with suicidal thoughts

A Canadian mother sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in US court on Thursday, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to kill herself. The lawsuit is the latest in a slew accusing the company of failing to address dangerous conversations between users and the company’s chatbot.

Kristie Carrier said in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco state court that her daughter, Alice, told ChatGPT about her suicidal ideations more than a dozen times leading up to her death but that OpenAI’s safety systems never flagged the conversations for human review or terminated them.

Toronto police officer shot while investigating US consulate attack

Leyland Cecco in Toronto and agencies — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:23:01 GMT

Suspect, 19, still at large after officer dies in hospital having been shot while searching an apartment

A Toronto police officer has been shot dead as police raided an apartment allegedly linked to the March attack on the US consulate, the city’s police chief, Myron Demkiw, said.

Demkiw said 43-year-old constable Marc Pinizzotto was shot while conducting an early-morning search warrant in the north-west of the city and later died at a hospital.

Cuba hopes for World Cup respite from US sabre-rattling – but prepares for the worst

Ruaridh Nicoll in Havana — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:00:21 GMT

With some matches being held in nearby Miami, a Cuban response to US military action could mar the tournament

As Cuba crumbles under a nearly five-month-long US oil blockade, many on the island hope that the World Cup might save the island from US attack – or at least offer a respite until the competition ends on 19 July.

“The beginning of the World Cup will make it more difficult for the United States to carry out a military action in Cuba,” said Carlos Alzugaray, Cuba’s former ambassador to the EU. “Cuba is very close to the US, and can hit many targets inside the US, especially in south Florida, with drones or other weapons.”

China arrests US academic at conference for ‘espionage activities’

Associated Press in Bangkok — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:27:08 GMT

Arrest of Min Zin, who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy, comes just month after Trump visit to Beijing

China 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.

‘Spy turtles’ and ‘spy fish’ being used to monitor Chinese waters, Beijing claims

Alastair McCready in Taipei — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:27:00 GMT

Ministry says animals fitted with sensors by foreign agencies collect sensitive sea data, in ‘invisible secret war’

China’s ministry of state security has claimed that foreign espionage and intelligence agencies are using innovative new methods to monitor the country’s waters, including deploying “spy” animals fitted with sensors.

In a post on the Chinese platform WeChat on Friday, the ministry warned that an “invisible secret war” was quietly playing out in the seas around China as foreign agencies were collecting sensitive data “through a variety of new spying devices” to produce underwater maps that pose a “serious threat to our national security”.

Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies aged 47 after years in a coma

Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:04:59 GMT

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol’s health had worsened since she was hospitalised in December 2022 with heart problems that left her gravely ill

The eldest child of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has died aged 47, the palace has said, after nearly four years in a coma.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, known in Thailand as Princess Bha, had been in hospital since December 2022 when she became gravely ill after having heart problems while out training her dogs.

Thai court sentences two Uyghur men to death for 2015 Bangkok bombing

Reuters in Bangkok — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:39:24 GMT

Twenty people were killed and 120 injured in the attack at the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist destination

A Thai court has handed out death sentences to two Uyghur men from the north-western Chinese region of Xinjiang for a 2015 bombing in the centre of Bangkok that killed 20 people.

The explosion occurred at the Erawan Shrine in the centre of Bangkok, an area popular with foreign tourists. As well as the 20 people killed, another 120 were injured. Five of the dead were from mainland China and two from Hong Kong.

Four days of extreme rain in Indonesia killed 7% of world’s rarest great apes, study finds

Katie Ward — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:18:05 GMT

Critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan population falls after heavy rain and landslides, fuelled by climate crisis, in North Sumatra

Extreme rainfall and landslides fuelled by the climate crisis killed 7% of the remaining population of the world’s rarest great ape, a study has found, prompting fears for the species’ survival.

The research suggests 58 out of the remaining 800 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis) were killed after more than 1,000mm (39in) of rain fell over four days in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province in November 2025. This equates to 11% of the local population and 7% of the entire species.

Liberals are scaring first-home buyers with warnings of negative equity – but experts believe there’s little to worry about

Patrick Commins Economics editor — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:00:51 GMT

Exclusive: Economists say falling house prices are largely in the more expensive parts of Sydney and Melbourne’s markets and are less likely to affect first-time property owners

Fears that first-time buyers with tiny deposits will find their mortgages are worth more than their homes may be assuaged by new data showing falling prices are concentrated in the top end of the Sydney and Melbourne property markets.

Climbing inflation, interest rates and worries about the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict have helped depress housing values in the country’s two biggest cities.

Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average

Graham Readfearn Environment and climate correspondent — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:00:48 GMT

Exclusive A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’

Antarctica’s west coast is missing an area of winter sea ice the size of France, sparking concerns for threatened penguins other marine life and global sea levels.

One expert said the loss of ice in the Bellingshausen Sea was “depressing” and the failure of ice to form could have intensified a heatwave over the continent’s peninsular last week that saw daytime temperatures peak at 15.4C which is more than 20C above average.

NDIS changes ‘retrogressive’ and out of step with review, MPs say

Sarah Basford Canales — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:00:48 GMT

Report by Labor-led joint human rights committee says cuts to the $50bn scheme could limit support for those in need

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Sweeping changes to the NDIS appear “retrogressive” and lack alignment with a landmark independent review to improve the $50bn-a-year scheme, a Labor-led committee has found.

The 57-page scrutiny report from the joint human rights committee, released on Friday, examined the proposed changes under the Albanese government ahead of a separate report due next week by a Senate inquiry. The Labor-chaired committee questioned the human rights implications of winding back access for more than 200,000 participants in the coming years, which could leave many without sufficient disability support.

Three major banks predict interest rates to fall next year – as it happened

Cait Kelly Nick Visser and Caitlin Cassidy — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:51:45 GMT

This blog is now closed

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Teens who use social media two hours daily at higher risk of depressive symptoms, study finds

Teenagers who spend hours glued to social media are likely to experience poorer mental health and a decline in wellbeing, a decade-long study shows, with young girls most at risk.

Pokémon Go data trained AI that could assist military drones in war zones

Josh Taylor Technology reporter — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:06:00 GMT

Location scans from the globally popular augmented reality game have helped train AI to recognise and interpret physical spaces

An AI model trained on data collected from users of Pokémon Go will potentially help military drones find their location in war zones.

Pokémon Go, a 2016 augmented reality mobile game, allowed players to find and catch Pokémon in the real world using the cameras on their mobile phones, and exploded in popularity. In 2018, the company reported having more than 800m downloads worldwide.

Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups urge G7 to take action on Gaza

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:00:49 GMT

Paris meeting draws up proposals and calls for urgent diplomacy towards two-state solution at summit next week

Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups meeting in Paris on Friday have urged G7 leaders to act at their summit in the French spa town of Évian-les-Bains next week to save the narrowing chances of a two-state solution.

The groups called for specific action on enforcing a ceasefire, disarming Hamas and starting reconstruction in Gaza, and said the various peace processes including the Board of Peace initiative should be integrated into one programme.

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

Sam Jones in Madrid — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:12:46 GMT

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, already under investigation for alleged influence-peddling, facing questions over items found in office safe

The 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, who led two socialist governments between 2004 and 2011, is already under investigation for alleged influence-peddling and other offences relating to the state bailout of the Spanish Plus Ultra airline during the Covid pandemic. He is alleged to have overseen “a hierarchical structure of influence-peddling”, whose purpose was “to obtain economic benefits through intermediation and the exercise of influence before public bodies in favour of third parties, mainly Plus Ultra”.

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

Severin Carrell and Angelique Chrisafis — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:39 GMT

Cyber agency says BlackCore targeted John Swinney, as well as interfering in New York and French elections

France’s cybersecurity agency has accused the Israeli tech company 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 this year used proxy social media accounts to target Swinney, the Scottish National party, and the Scottish government on four occasions.

Nigerian man unable to claim Italian lottery win gains residency permit

Angela Giuffrida in Rome — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:59:40 GMT

Former street seller celebrates newfound rights after debacle in claiming €500,000 scratchcard prize while undocumented

A Nigerian man who won €500,000 in an Italian lottery – but was barred from collecting his windfall because he was undocumented – said the hardship of his more than decade-long immigration journey had been eased after he was finally granted a residency permit.

“I’ve been praying for this moment ever since I arrived in Italy,” said Imagbe Ehizomwengie, 36. “It’s a huge relief. You might think it’s incredible, but receiving the permit means more to me than winning the money. I want to work and contribute to society.”

Up to 90% of Ireland’s asylum seekers may have entered from Northern Ireland, data shows

Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 04:00:36 GMT

Figures suggest common travel area being used in both directions, but particularly UK to Ireland

Up to 90% of asylum seekers in Ireland may have entered the country via the Northern Ireland land border in the last three years, figures suggest.

Irish government data shows the common travel area (CTA) is being exploited in both directions but suggests it may be more popular for those seeking asylum in Ireland than in the UK.

Middle East crisis live: final text of peace deal between US and Iran agreed, says Pakistan’s prime minister

Vivian Ho (now); Tom Ambrose and Taz Ali (earlier) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:29:57 GMT

Islamabad working with both sides to finalise next steps, says Shehbaz Sharif

Iran’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 will have no role in its future management.

Contrary to some bizarre claims in the media, Iran in no way makes a commitment in this text to hand over its management or to restore the strait of Hormuz to the state before the military aggression of the US and Israel. The only point mentioned is the normalisation of transit through the strait of Hormuz upon the end of the war, the establishment of maritime security by the coastal states, the end of the illegal blockade, and the removal of threats to commercial shipping by the US and Israel. At Iran’s request, the US will have no role whatsoever in the future management of the strait of Hormuz. It has been made clear that the future administration of the strait will be based on an Iranian initiative and proposal, within the framework of a matter pertaining to the countries of the region. In this framework, discussions about the future of the strait of Hormuz will not take place even in negotiations after the signing of the agreement, and Tehran will directly resolve this issue in talks with Oman.”

Chaotic talks on a US-Iran deal continue on the Trump rollercoaster

Julian Borger Senior international correspondent — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:39:11 GMT

Amid rhetoric, market uncertainty and tit-for-tat exchanges, the two sides are still trying to find a way out of the impasse

Great news! Donald Trump has said the US and Iran are on the verge of a peace agreement. Oil prices are down, and the stock market is up. This comes only hours after Trump warned Iran was about to be struck “VERY HARD”, a threat that had sent oil prices up and stocks down.

It has been another ride on the Trump rollercoaster, keeping traders on edge, most of the world poorer, and people of the Middle East constantly whiplashing between fear and hope. But whether the ride veers up or down, the management always makes money.

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

Alexander Durie — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:09:59 GMT

With more than 177,000 people forcibly disappeared since 2011, short doc Maybe Tomorrow captures ‘the violence of waiting’ experienced by family

When 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 asked her to take a pen and paper and write the lyrics of a song she loved. Wanting to impress him, Mustafa chose an Umm Kulthum song called “Aghadan Alqak”, which translates to: “Will I meet you tomorrow?”

“The lyrics are literally about someone who’s gone, about the waiting for them and the love you have for them,” says Mustafa. “It feels like I knew what was coming … as if I manifested my life since I was very young.”

Pro-Palestine activists believe ‘sea change’ coming in Labour’s approach to Middle East

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 05:00:35 GMT

Green surge in local elections and recent polling of Labour members may cause government to toughen stance on Israel

Middle East crisis – live updates

Pro-Palestine activists believe there could be a “sea change” in the Labour party’s approach to the crisis in the Middle East which could result in the government taking a tougher stance on Israel.

Campaigners have pointed to the threat posed to Labour by the Green surge in the local elections, the likely departure of Keir Starmer from No 10, and new polling which shows an appetite among Labour members for a ban on all arms shipments to Israel.

Oil prices fall after Trump says he is cancelling strikes – as it happened

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 04:12:08 GMT

This blog is now closed – see our latest full report on the Middle East crisis

Three Indian seafarers were killed in a US attack on an oil tanker earlier this week, India’s shipping minister, ‌Sarbananda Sonowal, said.

“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he wrote in a post on X.

The Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis & the consequences reach far beyond the region.”

‘I only want justice’: bereaved families seek closure one year on from Air India crash

Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondent — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:00:40 GMT

Relatives of those killed on flight AI171 are still struggling to obtain answers about what happened

When Sagar Patel’s mother boarded Air India flight AI171 on 12 June last year, she called her son as she always did before takeoff. The flight was due to leave Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and was destined for Gatwick.

“We always had a little traditional thing,” said Patel, a business manager from London. “Once she got on the flight, she would sit down and call me. She’d tell me: ‘Yep, I’m on the flight. See you later.’”

US lawmakers demand Trump officials halt plan to send Afghans to DRC

Reuters — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:41:04 GMT

Government urged to reconsider proposal for 1,100 Afghans, currently stranded in Qatar, who worked with US forces

Dozens of US lawmakers urged the Trump administration on Thursday to roll back any plans to ship to unsafe third countries Afghan nationals who worked with US forces during the war in their homeland.

In a letter seen by Reuters, more than 80 House of Representatives members, including at least three Republicans as well as Democrats, appealed to secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to reconsider plans for 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting relocation.

Delhi issues ‘strong protest’ after US strikes kill three Indian seafarers in Gulf

Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:11:10 GMT

Washington claims vessel was violating its blockade of Iranian ports and failed to comply with instructions

The Indian government has voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command confirmed that its aircraft had fired two Hellfire missiles at the engine room of the MT Settebello as it sailed through the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday.

US diplomat found dead in Myanmar as police treat case as possible homicide

Associated Press in Bangkok — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:30:04 GMT

Thai woman is in custody in connection with investigation after man was reportedly found dead at a hotel in Yangon

A US diplomat has been found dead in Myanmar’s largest city, and members of the diplomatic community in Yangon say a Thai woman has been detained by police in connection with the investigation.

US officials in Thailand and the US embassy in Myanmar referred questions on the case to the state department, which confirmed the “death of a US government employee” assigned to the embassy in Yangon, but gave no other details.

Two killed in rare street demonstration over women’s rights in Afghanistan

Ruchi Kumar, Ghazaal Mohammadi and Rukhshana Media reporters — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:35:08 GMT

A child reported among those killed when Taliban forces fired on crowds in Herat, who were protesting over arrests of women accused of violating hijab dress code

A Taliban crackdown on women’s dress code in Afghanistan has escalated into a rare mass street protest in the western province of Herat, with at least two people, including one boy, killed by security forces.

Officials made a wave of arrests in recent days targeting women and young girls accused of “improper hijab”. Residents say many families had received no information about the whereabouts or condition of those detained.

UK to ban under-16s from ‘high risk’ social media apps

Dan Milmo, Aisha Down and Alexandra Topping — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:28:54 GMT

Measures to include restrictions on ‘safe’ social media apps, with some fearing banning some platforms and not others will lead to legal challenges

Teenagers under the age of 16 are to be banned from accessing “high-risk” social media apps while safer platforms will be subjected to restrictions, under a sweeping government crackdown.

Under-18s will also be banned from using romantic or sexual AI chatbots after a consultation on keeping children safe online.

Pro-Palestine activists sentenced as terrorists over damage at Israeli arms factory in UK

Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:23:12 GMT

Four found guilty will face tougher conditions as judge says actions were ‘designed to intimidate the UK government and a section of the public’

Four Palestine Action activists who smashed up drones and other equipment at an Israeli arms manufacturer’s UK factory will be sentenced as terrorists, a judge has ruled.

Mr Justice Johnson made the ruling at a sentencing hearing on Friday for Samuel Corner, 23, Charlotte Head, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, who were all found guilty of criminal damage last month in relation to a 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems UK site in Gloucestershire. Corner was also convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent for striking Sgt Kate Evans with a sledgehammer.

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

Tim Jonze and Donna Ferguson — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:18:58 GMT

The Bradford-born painter 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
• ‘David Hockney caught the look of the modern world’
• David Hockney’s life in pictures

David 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 of swimming pools that helped define the Los Angeles aesthetic. Works such as A Bigger Splash and Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) depicted hedonistic scenes of love, lust and loss taking place below the city’s sun-soaked skies.

Starmer defends investment on defence as he vows to fight any leadership challenge – as it happened

Andrew Sparrow — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:40:33 GMT

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here

As 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’ve highlighted the key phrases in bold):

The character of conflict is changing faster than our procurement can keep up with. We are still purchasing capability suitable for the last war while our adversaries arm for the next one. Platforms that cost billions can be defeated by systems that cost thousands. Any serious defence investment plan has to start from that reality.

While I had no hand in the defence investment plan, that distance does allow me to say plainly that it is not built for the threat we face.

I want to see a higher percentage for uncrewed systems, AI, data – data is the new gunpowder – and we’ve got to move that forward if we are going to win the next war.

Too many working people in this country feel insecure even when they are doing everything right. They work hard, contribute, pay their taxes and still feel one setback away from trouble. Public confidence in our institutions is weakening and politics increasingly looks performative while everyday life gets harder.

The machinery of government itself has been left to decay. Decisions that should take days, take months. Departments fight each other instead of the problem. Officials and ministers who know the truth are not always rewarded for telling it. We are trying to govern a more dangerous world with processes designed for a calmer one, and the gap is now showing in the things that matter most.

CBS News hires Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips as global correspondent

Jeremy Barr and Michael Savage — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:32:12 GMT

British journalist becomes one of most prominent appointments made by embattled editor-in-chief Bari Weiss

CBS News has hired the prominent British broadcaster Trevor Phillips as its senior global affairs correspondent in a significant hire for embattled top editor Bari Weiss.

The network said that reporting by Phillips, who currently presents the flagship Sunday political show on Sky News in the UK, would appear “on all CBS News programs and platforms”.

US judge won’t block Trump’s UFC event at White House – US politics live

Lucy Campbell (now); Vivian Ho and Tom Ambrose (earlier) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:30:29 GMT

Federal judge rules against Virginia residents who argued Trump’s administration exceeded its authority to host ‘UFC Freedom 250’ mixed martial arts event at White House

Donald Trump and his allies have discussed pushing lawmakers to pass a resolution aimed at voiding his first-term impeachments, the Wall Street Journal reported last night, citing people familiar with the matter.

“It should be done because I did nothing wrong,” Trump said when asked about the resolution in a phone call this week with the Journal. “It was a rigged deal — it was a whole rigged situation.”

Texas shooting leaves one person dead and nine others in hospital

Guardian staff and agency — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:26:05 GMT

Midland police reported that the suspected shooter was dead after a two-hour standoff

A shooting on Friday in Midland, Texas, has killed one person and sent a further nine to the hospital with injuries, according to the city’s authorities.

The possible suspect was in a standoff with officers for around two hours but later on Friday afternoon was reported deceased, police and the city’s mayor said.

Louisiana jury awards $1.1bn to woman who sued over childhood molestation in 1960s

Ramon Antonio Vargas — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:25:50 GMT

‘Lookback law’ allowed Pamela Lockridge to seek damages against late stepfather who abused her starting at age four

A north-west Louisiana jury recently awarded a staggering $1.1bn in damages to a woman who sued over childhood sexual molestation at the hands of her late stepfather in the 1960s and 1970s – a verdict that the plaintiff says “sends a message that children are precious” and “deserve protection”.

The outcome in Pamela Elaine Lockridge’s lawsuit caused waves among Louisiana’s legal community, illustrating how much civil juries are willing to award to plaintiffs for cases tried under the state’s so-called “lookback law”.

Latest US release of UFO files reveals strange lights but few hard facts

Richard Luscombe — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:20:51 GMT

New batch of government documents takes no position on origin of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)

A possible UFO sighting over a busy southern African airport, and yet more mysterious glowing orbs in the sky above the US feature in the latest batch of previously classified documents released by the Pentagon on Friday in its stated quest for “transparency” amid the irrepressible debate about the chances of extraterrestrial life.

In keeping with the first two document drops of government papers last month, Friday’s tranche of more than 50 files contains no proof that the tantalizing videos and written accounts of possible alien encounters are anything other than perception, vivid imagination or conspiracy theories.

Judge extends block on Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Sam Levine in New York — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:32:22 GMT

Trump administration created fund to resolve his lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns

A federal judge in Virginia has extended an order blocking the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8bn slush fund, saying the administration’s public statements that the fund was dead were not assuring enough.

The US district judge Leonie Brinkema, an appointee of Bill Clinton, said she would lift her order if the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, and the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, filed a declaration under penalty of perjury that the fund was not moving forward in the next week.