10 h. ago ‘American death zones’: Trump admin announces $30m for Gaza aid program where dozens have been killed trying to get food

Testimony collected by The Independent from Palestinians whose family members have been killed at sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation paints a picture of chaos and death

Events

19 h. ago Flash floods in Pakistan kill 8 and 58 are rescued after deluge swept away dozens

Flash floods triggered by pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of tourists in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least eight people

Events

38 h. ago Israel closes the most direct route for aid to Palestinians in Gaza

Blockade will increase diplomatic pressure on Israel as Spain PM Pedro Sánchez describes situation as ‘genocide’Israel has closed crossings into northern Gaza, cutting the most direct route for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine, as airstrikes and shelling killed dozens more people in the devastated Palestinian territory.The move to close the crossings on Thursday will increase diplomatic pressure on Israel as attention shifts from its brief conflict with Iran, back to the violence and grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago US to give $30m to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation despite violent and chaotic rollout of food distribution

Grant makes US a direct backer of aid organization that reportedly has collaboration with Israeli governmentThe Trump administration has authorised a $30m grant to the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, making the US a direct backer of an aid organisation that is closely linked to private security contractors and has been accused by critics of “politicising” the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza.According to a document seen by the Guardian, the state department has already disbursed $7m to GHF, a US- and Israeli-backed aid organisation that has been given preferential access to operate in Gaza because it says that it can deliver millions of meals to starving people without that food falling into the hands of Hamas. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Words of War review – Maxine Peake leads line as murdered Putin

Peake stars opposite Jason Isaacs, as Politkovskaya’s husband, in this sentimental look at the life of a woman who, 19 years after her death, remains a folk heroThis British-American co-production offers a dramatised portrait of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (played by Maxine Peake) who was assassinated in 2006. Politkovskaya’s gutsy, impassioned reporting on the second Chechen war was highly critical of the Kremlin, the Russian army and Vladimir Putin personally. (The fact that she was murdered on his birthday was surely no coincidence.) Nineteen years after her death, she remains a folk hero worldwide for resistances to autocracy, especially given the rise in repression everywhere and constant threats to journalists.Given all that, the film deserves respect for the subject matter, even though this is a pretty basic rendition of Politkovskaya’s story, a little too sticky with hagiographic sentimentality and the cliches of crusading journalist-led movies. It also should be n...

Events

5 d. ago Russian attacks on Ukraine kill at least 5 and injure over a dozen

A Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital has killed at least four people and injured others as rescuers searched a collapsed apartment building for survivors

Events

5 d. ago Three fans dead and over 80 injured in tragic football stadium disaster

A horrific stadium disaster in Algeria, has resulted in three football fans being killed and dozens more injured in horrifying scenes in the North African country

Events

6 d. ago The Minnesota shootings illuminate the character of the Trump era | Sidney Blumenthal

The attacks on lawmakers and a US senator’s callous reaction tell a dark tale of modern AmericaIn the early morning of 14 June, according to authorities, Vance Luther Boelter, disguised as a police officer and wearing body armor and a face mask, drove his black Ford Explorer SUV, equipped with flashing lights, to the home of the Minnesota state senator John Hoffman. There, he shot Hoffman nine times, critically wounding him, and shot his wife eight times as, relatives say, she threw her body over her daughter to shield her. He next drove to the home of the former house speaker Melissa Hortman, forced his way in, and killed her and her husband, officials say.The police arrived and Boelter fled, abandoning his car. In it they allegedly discovered a “kill list” of dozens of federal and state Democratic officials, mostly from Minnesota but also prominent Democrats in other midwestern states, and the sites of women’s healthcare centers and Planned Parenthood donors. He left behind notebo...

Politics

8 d. ago ‘My son went to get flour. He came back in a coffin’: As the world focuses on Iran Palestinians are being shot dead seeking aid

While the world has its attention fixed on a regional war, desperate Palestinians are being killed by the dozen as they seek food at controversial American-run aid sites in Gaza, write Bel Trew and Richard Hall

Events

9 d. ago Israeli attacks kill dozens in Gaza in 24 hours as world focus shifts to Iran

‘Starving people being killed or injured while seeking life-saving assistance is completely unacceptable’ says World Food Programme

Events

9 d. ago Ruby Wax, 71, tells Paloma Faith she's going to become a death doula

The American comic, 71, has been candid about preparing for death in recent years, even admitting that the prospect of dying is her 'biggest fear'.

Events

9 d. ago Canada said it would stand up to Trump. Instead, it’s taking cues from him | Shiri Pasternak and Dayna Nadine Scott

Federal and provincial governments are ‘flooding the zone’ with damaging corporate giveaways under the guise of resistanceSteve Bannon calls it “flooding the zone”. Donald Trump demonstrated it in his first weeks back in office, when he introduced over 100 executive orders. Regardless of their legal viability, the sheer volume of policy changes is the point. It is a political strategy to overwhelm institutions, courts and social groups, preventing effective opposition.In Canada, we are witnessing our own version of “flooding the zone” from our new prime minister, Mark Carney, in coordination with provincial and territorial premiers. Carney is the former governor of the Bank of England. Prior to that, he was the governor of the Bank of Canada. He recently won the federal election by defeating a rightwing opponent Canadians feared would steer them too far towards Trump policies. Yet Carney’s “negotiations” with Trump have so far involved gentle reminders that Canada would never become...

Politics

9 d. ago Israeli forces kill dozens of Palestinians waiting for UN food aid in Gaza, health officials say

At least 59 Palestinians killed as Israeli tanks accused of shelling crowd gathered at aid delivery site

Politics

1 week ago Israel’s gamble on force could push Iran to accelerate nuclear plans

Experts say the strikes have delayed Tehran’s bomb-making by months – but may undermine chances of a diplomatic solutionIn just a few days of war, Israel has killed more than a dozen of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, taken out much of its top military hierarchy and attacked key parts of its nuclear programme.It has been a powerful display of Israeli military and intelligence dominance, but has not critically damaged Iran’s widely dispersed and heavily protected nuclear programme, Israeli military commanders and international nuclear proliferation experts agree. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Israeli strikes have not knocked out Iran’s nuclear programme

Experts say the strikes have delayed Tehran’s bomb-making by months – but may undermine chances of a diplomatic solutionIsrael-Iran conflict: live updatesIn just a few days of war, Israel has killed more than a dozen of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, taken out much of its top military hierarchy and attacked key parts of its nuclear programme.It has been a powerful display of Israeli military and intelligence dominance, but has not critically damaged Iran’s widely dispersed and heavily protected nuclear programme, Israeli military commanders and international nuclear proliferation experts agree. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Witnesses describe ‘horror’ after Israeli forces fire at Palestinians waiting for aid trucks

At least 51 people killed and hundreds wounded in Khan Younis as they sought food supplies, says Gaza health ministryMiddle East crisis – live updatesWitnesses have described scenes like “a horror movie” in Gaza after Israeli forces fired towards a crowd waiting for trucks loaded with flour near Khan Younis, on one of the bloodiest days for weeks in the devastated territory.At least 51 Palestinians were reported to have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the southern city. People at the scene and doctors described seeing injured and dead with wounds typical of those caused by artillery or tank fire. Unverified video shared on social media showed about a dozen mangled bodies lying in a street. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Russia kills 15 in Kyiv as Zelensky condemns 'one of the most terrifying strikes'

There was terror in Kyiv as Russian bombs rained down killing 15 people and destroying dozens of buildings - President Zelensky calls the attack 'one of the most terrifying strikes' of the war

Events

1 week ago At least 51 Palestinians killed in Gaza waiting for food trucks, says health ministry

More than 200 also wounded on Tuesday morning as they waited for UN and commercial trucks to enter territory with aid suppliesMiddle East crisis – live updatesAt least 51 Palestinians have been killed and more than 200 wounded while waiting for UN and commercial trucks to enter the territory with desperately needed food, according to Gaza’s health ministry and a local hospital.Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd in the southern city of Khan Younis on Tuesday morning. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Minnesota shooting suspect had dozens of potential targets, prosecutors say

Prosecutors say the man charged with killing one Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another had dozens of apparent targets, including officials in at least three other states

Events

1 week ago The Latest: Iran launches a new wave of missile attacks on Israel as conflict enters fourth day

Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of a conflict between the regional foes that showed no sign of slowing

Events