3 h. ago Solution to get food and aid to Gaza is ‘steps away’, US state department says – live

Gaza is on the brink of catastrophe after two months of a total blockade by Israel, aid workers say, with many families down to one meal a dayThe winners and losers of Trump’s first tariff war strongly suggest that bankruptcies and farm consolidation could surge during his second term, with major corporations best placed to benefit from his polices at the expense of independent farmers.New analysis by the non-profit research advocacy group Food and Water Watch (FWW), shared exclusively with the Guardian, shows that Trump’s first-term tariffs were particularly devastating for farmers in the Maga rural heartlands. Continue reading...

Society

14 h. ago Leading aid group shuts down its soup kitchens across Gaza over Israel's blockade

A leading aid group says that Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian assistance for Gaza has forced it to shut down its community soup kitchens

Politics

31 h. ago Children so malnourished they’re losing their sight: Inside Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza

The blockade has led to famine-like conditions for the two million people living on the Strip, and at least 9,000 children have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition since the start of the year

Politics

32 h. ago UN experts demand action to avert ‘annihilation’ of Palestinians in Gaza – Middle East crisis live

More than 20 experts call on countries to act or ‘witness the slaughter of innocents’‘Desperate people’: Gaza faces wave of looting, theft and violenceThe Dutch government, seen as one of Israel’s most loyal allies in the European Union, is calling for an urgent review of the EU Israel association agreement, the basis for the EU-Israeli free trade agreement, the Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp told the Guardian.Veldkamp described the Israeli ban on the supply of aid into Gaza as “catastrophic, truly dismal” and in clear breach of international humanitarian law.You cannot starve the people of the Gaza Strip. It is against international law. It’s morally wrong. It’s dangerous. I don’t think it’s in Israel’s own interest. Continue reading...

Events

52 h. ago Kristi Noem says travelers without REAL ID will still be able to fly after deadline

Homeland security chief says people without new ID ‘may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step’Kristi Noem, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said on Tuesday that travelers without a REAL ID will still be able to fly when the updated identity system comes into effect on 7 May, but they may face extra scrutiny at transportation security agency (TSA) checkpoints.Noem told lawmakers that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements, and that those that don’t “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step”. Continue reading...

Events

58 h. ago Palestinians ‘desperate for food but getting bombs’, says UN as it criticises Israel’s Gaza aid plan – Middle East crisis live

Reports say that Israel is planning to use private American security contractors in move that OCHA says falls short of ‘humanitarian principles’China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said Beijing is “highly concerned about the current Palestine-Israel situation”.“We oppose Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza, and hopes all parties continuously and effectively implement the ceasefire agreement,” Jian said.The government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hopes that the Israel Defense Forces’ call-up of tens of thousands of reservists, the threat of the new offensive and the prospect of Israel seizing swaths of territory will force Hamas’s leaders to make concessions.If it fails to do so, then physical possession of terrain will offer useful leverage in future negotiations and allow Hamas to be squeezed further in the meantime Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Maltese authorities block food supplies to stricken Gaza aid ship hit by drone attack

Activists are being prevented from delivering food supplies to an aid ship bound for Gaza which was damaged in a drone attack off the coast of Malta.

Events

5 d. ago Witnesses and aid groups report looting in Gaza after two months of Israeli blockade

Organizations in Gaza, messages circulated between security officials for aid groups seen by The Associated Press and witnesses say warehouses are being looted by Palestinians, some armed, as desperation for aid spikes after more than two months of Israel’s blockade

Politics

5 d. ago Groups fear Israeli proposal for controlling aid in Gaza will forcibly displace people

Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza for two months and says it won’t allow food, fuel, water or medicine into the besieged territory until it can prevent Hamas and other militants from siphoning it away from Palestinian civilians

Politics

6 d. ago Desperate children and adults in Gaza struggle to get food as Israel blocks aid

Young children and adults in Gaza frantically wave pots and pans at charity workers

Politics

6 d. ago Pam Bondi turning DoJ into Trump’s ‘personal law firm’, top experts warn

Attorney general accused of targeting political foes, halting prosecutions and placing premium on loyalty to presidentDonald Trump’s Department of Justice has taken radical steps to target his political foes, back a harsh agenda against undocumented immigrants and help business allies – steps which underscore its politicization under the attorney general Pam Bondi and undermine the rule of law, say ex-prosecutors and legal experts.Some even say that the department has in effect become Trump’s “personal law firm”. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Ship carrying aid to Gaza ‘attacked by drones’ off Mediterranean island

A ship carrying aid to Gaza burst into flames after it was reportedly attacked by drones off the coast of Malta on Friday (2 May).

Events

6 d. ago Households urged to spread £1.20 kitchen staple to get rid of wasps

Angry wasps can become a nuisance in summer as they whizz around you, your drinks, and food in just about any outdoor area - but there's a solution to keep them away

Economics

6 d. ago Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, humanitarian group says

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza while it was off the coast of Malta

Events

6 d. ago Ship carrying aid to Gaza is 'attacked by drones' off Mediterranean island sparking onboard inferno amid race to rescue 30 activists from sinking vessel

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), an international NGO, say their vessel was assaulted while in international waters early this morning.

Events

6 d. ago Top UN court wraps a week of hearings on humanitarian aid to Gaza

The top United Nations court is wrapping a week of hearings on what Israel must do to ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank

Events

6 d. ago Ship carrying activists and aid to Gaza attacked by drones, NGO claims

The ship issued an SOS distress call after being hit 17 nautical miles east of Malta

Events

8 d. ago Israel has no duty to allow UN aid agency into Gaza, says US state department lawyer

Joshua Simmons tells international court of justice that Israel’s concerns about Unwra are ‘credible’Israel’s urgent security needs override its obligations to provide aid to Palestinians in Gaza, a US state department lawyer has told the international court of justice (ICJ).Joshua Simmons spoke as the United Nations’ top court hears a case on Israel’s ban on cooperation with Unwra, the UN’s main agency for Palestinians. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump 100 days: ‘unpredictable’ US alienates allies and disrupts global trade

Trump has cut off Ukraine aid, brokered and lost a ceasefire in Gaza and took a sledgehammer to world commerce100 days of TrumpFor US foreign policy, Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were the weeks when decades happened.In just over three months, the US president has frayed alliances that stood since the second world war and alienated the US’s closest friends, cut off aid to Ukrainians on the frontlines against Vladimir Putin, emboldened US rivals around the world, brokered and then lost a crucial ceasefire in Gaza, launched strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and seesawed on key foreign policy and economic questions to the point where the US has been termed the “unpredictable ally”. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump 100 days: from cornerstone of the west to unreliable ally

Trump has cut off Ukraine aid, brokered and lost a ceasefire in Gaza and took a sledgehammer to world commerce100 days of TrumpFor US foreign policy, Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were the weeks when decades happened.In just over three months, the US president has frayed alliances that stood since the second world war and alienated the US’s closest friends, cut off aid to Ukrainians on the frontlines against Vladimir Putin, emboldened US rivals around the world, brokered and then lost a crucial ceasefire in Gaza, launched strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and seesawed on key foreign policy and economic questions to the point where the US has been termed the “unpredictable ally”. Continue reading...

Politics