13 m. ago Israel declares it has 'full aerial superiority' over Tehran as US aircraft carrier steams towards Middle East after Trump issued warning to Iran

Iran is looking to form an 'Islamic Army' with several other countries in the Middle East as it continues to wage war with Israel.

Events

37 m. ago Roadmap to WW3 laid out as more nations threaten to get involved – and it's happened before

The similarities between the current global landscape and that of 1939 could not be more stark, with more countries feared to get dragged into ever-escalating conflicts in Europe and the Middle East

Events

41 m. ago Red Path review – Tunisian drama tells traumatic story of Islamic State’s horrific cruelty

Based on the true story of the brutal murder of a teenage shepherd, Lotfi Achour’s sombre film honestly attempts to encompass the unbearable grief suffered by the familyA low cloud of misery and horror settles on this sombre movie from Tunisian writer-director Lotfi Achour, inspired by a brutal event in his country from 2015. A teenage shepherd called Mabrouk Soltani was murdered and beheaded on Mount Mghila in central Tunisia by members of Jund al-Khilafah (“soldiers of the caliphate”), the Tunisian branch of Islamic State, which habitually hides out in that remote, rugged region. They videoed their grotesque homicide, claiming the boy was an army spy and ordered his terrified 14-year-old cousin, who was with him, to carry the severed head back to his village as a brutal “message” – and this boy obeyed, in a stricken state of trauma that can only be guessed at. This horrifying event was to assume the status of national scandal in Tunisia two years later when the victim’s elder brot...

Events

41 m. ago Ant no stopping us now: insect with potent bite continues march across US

Experts say Asian needle ant ‘not especially dangerous’ but warn some people have gone into anaphylaxisLast year, Dan Suiter, a professor of urban entomology at the University of Georgia, received at least three calls from people who had been stung by an Asian needle ant – or knew someone who had been – and went into anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.While there is no new evidence on the continued spread of the ants in the US – detected now in 20 US states – Suiter and his colleagues are determined to raise public awareness of the risks the species poses. Continue reading...

Politics

41 m. ago A Biden official says Israel committed war crimes. Who else will come forward? | Ahmed Moor

The administration lied to obscure a genocide. Now a former spokesperson is revealing the disconnect between words and realityPoliticians lie, and the people around them do too. When it’s convenient – when the whole world is pulsing with revulsion, for example – they begin to reveal flavors of the truth.The Biden administration lied more than most, its public-facing members particularly. Its policy in Palestine was to embrace the Israelis in a “bear hug” – to smother them with love. And there’s thin cover for a genocide beyond lies.Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace Continue reading...

Politics

51 m. ago Horror deaths of skydiver mum and her instructor in 15,000ft fall caught on camera

Belinda Taylor and instructor Adam Harrison died instantly when they plummeted 15,000ft to the ground during the tandem skydive, which Belinda's partner bought for her as a thank you present

Events

1 hour ago Bob MacIntyre shows who he really is with the moving story behind viral reaction to US Open winning putt

The Scottish star’s reaction to heartbreaking defeat at US Open which was caught on cameras won him a new army of admirers

Politics

1 hour ago ‘Hundreds of people’ could deserve jail over grooming gangs cover

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, says there was deliberate action by some police, council leaders, social workers and prosecutors to hide abuseStarmer launches new grooming gangs investigationIn a recent report the Commons defence committee said that the armed forces covenant, a legal promise to veterans saying that they should not lose out when accessing government services because of their service in the military, should be extended. It said:While some people had positive experiences to share, a worrying number [of veterans] felt that the covenant had been ineffective—or worse yet, had been disregarded—when they had cited it. As a result, many continued to face disadvantages as a result of their service in areas like healthcare, education, employment and welfare .We welcome the government’s intention to extend the covenant legal duty, which currently requires some public service providers to give due regard to the covenant’s principles when providing certain housing, health...

Events

1 hour ago Brits braced for tax rises as two thirds fear Rachel Reeves will need to hammer the public and firms or up borrowing to pay for Spending Review

Two thirds of voters (67 per cent) believe that the Chancellor's plans set out last week mean she will either hit them in the pocket or increase borrowing.

Economics

1 hour ago Human leg washes up on popular UK beach still wearing shoe and sock

It's not known yet whether the leg belonged to a man or woman, after a member of the public made the gruesome discovery at Prestwick Beach in Ayrshire last Tuesday

Politics

2 h. ago Employers told they should give women time off work for screening

A third of women have put off cervical screening because of work commitments

Politics

2 h. ago Iran and Israel trade attacks as conflict enters fourth day – live updates

Up to eight reportedly killed and more than 90 injured in Israel as strike damages hospital in the west of IranIran strikes Tel Aviv and Haifa as conflict enters fourth dayIf you are just tuning in to the latest developments in the escalating conflict in the Middle East, here is our new wrap on the strikes between Israel and Iran.Iran has executed a man who was found guilty of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday, as reported by Reuters. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Midlothian police hunting motorbike rider after ‘several near misses’ with pedestrians

Police are searching for a dangerous motorcyclist after “several near misses” with the public in Midlothian.

Events

2 h. ago Here’s what it means to enrich uranium – and why it raises concerns in Iran

Iran has enriched large quantities of uranium at its facilities

Politics

2 h. ago Map: The UK, US and French military bases across the Middle East after Iran threat

Iran says it does not want its conflict with Israel to expand to neighbouring countries but accuses the US and its allies of greenlighting Israel in its attacks against Tehran

Events

2 h. ago Trump is steamrolling congressional Republicans. What’s in it for them? | David Kirp

The budget bill was a reminder: the president and House speaker don’t care about lawmakers’ views. Why not just quit?Like soldiers in a well-disciplined army, Republican members of US Congress do whatever Commander Donald Trump demands. While the foot soldiers may occasionally grumble, they quickly fall in line when Trump intervenes.Republican representatives go through contortions to satisfy the bully in the White House: we hated deficits, goes the party orthodoxy, but now we vote for adding trillions to the deficit; we supported Ukraine, but now we cozy up to the Russians; we scrutinized cabinet nominees, but now we give our “advice and consent” to a cabinet of knaves and charlatans.David Kirp is professor emeritus at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago I’m thrilled that Liz Hurley is 60, naked and smiling in a meadow. But when will the nude celeb arms race end? | Emma Beddington

From Hurley to Amanda Holden to Jennifer Aniston and Martha Stewart, women over 50 in the public eye are increasingly taking their clothes off and posing artfully on Instagram. It strikes me as a lot of hard workMany thoughts came to mind on seeing Elizabeth Hurley’s recent 60th birthday Instagram post, where she is sitting smiling in a meadow, in as she writes, her “birthday suit”. Like, where will this older celebrity nudity arms race end? Jennifer Aniston did a birthday shoot at 40 for GQ; Gwyneth Paltrow posted nudes three years running, culminating in one painted gold at 50; Amanda Holden posed naked on some rocks (ouch) at 53. Now here’s Hurley. In the era of Martha Stewart (now 83) posting semi-clad thirst trap pics, I’m half expecting to see Sir David Attenborough mark his 100th with his modesty preserved only by a strategically placed aardvark (though the patriarchy seems to have ensured men don’t feel compelled to do this).I also found myself thinking: yes, she looks incre...

Politics

2 h. ago Harris says ‘world on brink of extraordinary destabilisation’

Simon Harris said the EU will have to discuss working together to evacuate its citizens from Israel and Iran.

Politics

3 h. ago US aircraft carrier steams towards Middle East after Trump issued threat to Tehran

Iran is looking to form an 'Islamic Army' with several other countries in the Middle East as it continues to wage war with Israel.

Events

4 h. ago Warning to motorists parking on own driveways over breaking little

Drivers could be reported to their local authority if they are caught

Events