2 h. ago We’re on the brink of a disastrous, illegal conflagration in the Middle East. Trump must be stopped | Fawaz Gerges

This is a war of choice, based on misinformation. If the US and UK join it, they risk a rerun of the Iraq debacle of 2003Like the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, Israel’s war on Iran is neither legal nor just. It is a war of choice, not of necessity – and should the US or its European allies, particularly Britain, join in, they risk being dragged into another disastrous and unlawful conflict in the Middle East.A US military intervention would be in direct contravention of international law. Already, the US, once the architect and guardian of the international order, is now among its chief violators. Instead of pressuring Benjamin Netanyahu to end his siege and destruction of Gaza, Donald Trump has fully sided with Netanyahu and called Israel’s attacks on Iran “excellent”. He has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. Trump is considering military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Doing so is explicitly prohibited under article 56 of the additional protocol to...

Events

63 h. ago Britain’s risk of power outages this winter lowest since pre

The National Electricity System Operator (Neso) said there is set to be enough electricity to meet demand over the colder winter months.

Events

7 d. ago Explorer 3000 v2: big power, small size – Scotland’s ultimate solar battery solution at home or off

Power outages in the Highlands and Islands, living in the lowlands, fishing on the Spey or camping in the Cairngorms – you can have power at your fingertips wherever you are in Scotland, and whatever you’re up to.

Politics

8 d. ago At least 49 people have died in flooding in South Africa, officials say

Officials say at least 49 people have died in flooding in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province

Events

1 week ago Voices: As a former judge, I used to defend Britain’s rights – mine are now at risk

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in April, trans women like me have had their rights systematically taken away, writes Victoria McCloud – who appears on The Independent’s Pride List 2025

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2 w. ago Revealed: Britain's ticking asbestos timebomb in our SUPERMARKETS. Just a few fibres can cause incurable cancer... now our shocking exposé reveals deaths of staff and millions more at risk

When David Paul fell ill and doctors asked whether he worked with asbestos, his reply was a firm 'no'.

Events

2 w. ago AP PHOTOS: Cuba's energy crisis forces families to find ingenious solutions to get by

For countless families in Cuba, the question is no longer if the power will go out, but when. Constant power outages, coupled with gas shortages, are forcing many to implement ingenious alternatives to sustain daily life as the island undergoes its most severe energy crisis in decades.

Events

3 w. ago Heathrow boss slept through disastrous power outage with his phone on silent

Senior staff at London Heathrow Airport couldn't reach Thomas Woldbye, Chief Executive Officer, to inform him they had decided to suspend operations because of a fire at a substation in Hayes

Events

3 w. ago Heathrow boss sorry for sleeping through outage with phone on silent

Thomas Woldbye missed emergency notifications and phone calls after nearby fire led to airport being shut downHeathrow’s chief executive has expressed his “deep regret” at being uncontactable and sleeping through the power outage that upended the travel plans of 200,000 passengers earlier this year.Thomas Woldbye slept through two emergency notification calls and “several” phone calls from Heathrow’s chief operating officer, Javier Echave, in the early hours of the morning after a fire at a nearby substation knocked out power supplies to the airport. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UK’s most senior police officer criticises early prison release scheme

Mark Rowley joins head of MI5 and National Crime Agency in letter to justice ministry to say public could be at risk Britain’s most senior police officer has criticised ministers for failing to assess the impact on forces of its plans to release prisoners early.Sir Mark Rowley said the scheme to free thousands of offenders early to ease overcrowded prisons would “generate a lot of work for police”. The Metropolitan police commissioner added: “Every time you put an offender into the community, a proportion of them will commit crime [and] will need chasing down by the police.” Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Police chiefs and MI5 warn Labour's plans to release prisoners early will 'risk public safety'

The heads of the Metropolitan Police , MI5 and National Crime Agency were among those who used a letter to the Ministry of Justice to raise their 'collective concerns'.

Events

3 w. ago Suspected arson causes a second major power outage in south of France

A second major power outage has hit southeastern France, this time in the city of Nice, after a suspected arson damaged an electrical facility

Politics

3 w. ago French authorities investigate second power blackout in two days

At least 45,000 people affected by ‘malicious act’ in Nice, a day after Cannes film festival disrupted by similar outageFrench authorities have launched an investigation into a power blackout blamed on sabotage that affected at least 45,000 people, just a day after a similar outage disrupted the final day of the Cannes film festival.Authorities in Nice said an electrical transformer had been set on fire in the west of the city in the early hours of Sunday, with power restored later in the day. A day earlier, a separate blaze, believed to have been started by arson, contributed to a power cut that hit Cannes. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Foul play suspected as Cannes Festival hit with power outage that leaves 160,000 homes without electricity

Police have said they are 'looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately' as blackouts cause travel chaos

Events

3 w. ago Cannes Film Festival is hit by blackout caused by 'sabotage' as police hunt perpetrators

The Cannes Film Festival was briefly brought to a halt following a major power outage that has struck south-eastern France just hours after a fire at an electrical substation overnight.

Events

3 w. ago Sabotage suspected as Cannes Film Festival struck by major power outage

Cause of the widespread outage is under investigation, with foul play reportedly suspected

Culture

3 w. ago Mountain marvel: how one of biggest batteries in Europe uses thousands of gallons of water to stop blackouts

‘Much-loved’ Dinorwig hydroelectric energy storage site in Wales has a vital role to play in keeping the lights onSeconds after a catastrophic series of power outages struck across the UK in the summer of 2019, a phone rang in the control room of the Dinorwig hydropower plant in north Wales. It was Britain’s energy system operator requesting an immediate deluge of electricity to help prevent a wide-scale blackout crippling Britain’s power grids.The response was swift, and in the end just under million people were left without power for less than 45 minutes. While trains were stuck on lines for hours and hospitals had to revert to backup generators, that phone call prevented Britain’s worst blackout in a decade from being far more severe. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Power outage hits Cannes Film Festival and traffic in southeastern France

A major power outage has hit southeastern France, disrupting traffic and briefly halting events at the Cannes Film Festival as the prestigious event prepared to hand out its top prize

Events

4 w. ago Germany boosts Nato’s eastern flank with new Baltic brigade amid threat from Russia – Europe live

Friedrich Merz visits Lithuania to mark the official formation of Germany’s first permanent overseas military unit since the second world warPortugal wants European energy regulators’ agency ACER to lead an independent investigation into the causes of the huge power outage that brought most of Spain and Portugal to a standstill last month, its acting energy minister told Reuters.Maria da Graça Carvalho said prime minister Luís Montenegro wants an independent investigation led by the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators to complement the technical report being prepared by the European network of transmission system operators ENTSO-E. Continue reading...

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