6 h. ago More police officers hurt during fifth night of violence in Northern Ireland

The violence followed an alleged sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena.

Events

7 h. ago Briton stranded in Jerusalem during Iran attacks says city ‘like a ghost town’

James Eden, 72, feels ‘abandoned’ by the Foreign Office – but has still managed to source a pint of Guinness despite Iranian bombardment.

Events

9 h. ago Lammy set for further talks with counterparts as Iran and Israel exchange fire

The Foreign Secretary will speak to figures in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Politics

9 h. ago Outbreak Festival London review: hardcore’s biggest day out ever

Outbreak Festival London review: hardcore’s biggest day out ever  Rolling Stone UK

Politics

11 h. ago Netanyahu outplayed Trump on Iran. Now the US risks being mired in another war | Mohamad Bazzi

If Trump wants to be the peacemaker he claims to be, he must negotiate a new deal with TehranBefore dawn on Friday, Israel unleashed a wave of air strikes against more than 100 targets in Iran, including nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and air defense systems. The surprise Israeli attack also killed some of Iran’s most senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. The Iranian regime called it a “declaration of war” – and western powers raced to prevent a wider regional conflict that could draw in the US along with other countries in the Middle East.While the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claims that he’s trying to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the attack is as much intended to blow up ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Donald Trump’s administration. While Trump’s overall foreign policy has been a disaster, for months he had resisted Netanyahu’s pleas to give Israel a green light to attack Iran, with US assistance. Trump insiste...

Events

12 h. ago The Ballymena violence has nothing to do with ‘protecting women’. It is racism, pure and simple | Sarah Creighton

Northern Ireland has always seen high levels of violence against women and girls. Blaming migrants is a useful way to distract from thatIn 1972, loyalist paramilitaries fired bullets into the home of a Catholic woman, Sarah McClenaghan. That night she was at home with her lodger, a Protestant, and her disabled teenage son, David. After forcing her son to get his mother’s rosary beads, proving that she was Catholic, a loyalist paramilitary raped Sarah. David was tortured. The gang then shot them both, David dying of his wounds.I thought about David and Sarah as I watched rolling news of the pogroms in Ballymena. I thought about them in light of the lie that violence against women and girls has been imported to Northern Ireland via migrants or asylum seekers. It’s always been here. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago ‘Where are the foreigners’: does a facile explanation lie behind Ballymena’s outbreak of hate?

Northern Ireland faces stark questions over the racism, xenophobia and intolerance that has forced families from abroad to fleeFirst came the shouts as the crowd worked its way through narrow terraced streets, proclaiming its mission to rid the town of “scum”. Then came the shattered glass as rocks exploded through windows. Then the flames, licking up curtains and spreading to sofas, carpets, books and framed pictures until smoke billowed into the summer night.They might have been scenes from another century, another country, but they played out in Northern Ireland this week in the glare of rolling news and social media, which recorded a soundtrack of glee and hate. “Where are the foreigners?” the mob shouted. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago ‘On a peak under a blue sky’: the joy of summer in Europe’s mountains

Our writer recalls his favourite mountain experiences, from hard-won views to splendid isolation and the comforts of simple refugesAfter a tough scramble to the summit of Rhinog Fach, we look down into the deep valley holding the chilly waters of Llyn Hywel, then west across several miles of heather, bilberry and bare rock to the Welsh coast. Turning my gaze north, there is the entire Llyn peninsula leading east to the peak of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), no doubt weighed down by thousands of visitors. Up here there are just two of us in an utterly peaceful landscape. No clouds on the horizon. No surprises.I lie down for a few minutes and feel myself drift off. There are no human voices to be heard, only birds. Summer has come early to these mountains and I wouldn’t be anywhere else, drinking in that particular kind of tranquillity to be found on a peak under a blue sky. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Israel and Iran exchange missile strikes with explosions heard in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Tehran – live

Two people reported dead in Israel after Iranian strikes; Tehran says 78, mostly civilians, killed in Friday’s surprise Israeli attack and confirms new wave of retaliatory strikes on IsraelIranian missiles hit Tel Aviv as Netanyahu warns attack on Iran ‘just the beginning’Earlier, Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif reported that dozens of civilians in Gaza were killed or wounded early on Saturday after they were attacked by Israeli forces as they gathered to wait for aid north of the Nuseirat refugee camp.The Guardian has not been able to confirm the details of this report. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since 7 October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort. A complete internet blackout in the Gaza Strip since Thursday has made reporting even more challenging. Continue reading...

Events

15 h. ago Portadown chaos see rioters hurl petrol bombs at police amid 'week of shame'

Violent disorder broke out in Ballymena and in Portadown, both in Northern Ireland, for a fifth consecutive night, and police officers had to use a water cannon on crowds

Events

16 h. ago Iranian missile strikes IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv as Israel braced for another round of attacks

Iran vowed to respond 'harshly' to Israel's strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which have taken out top Revolutionary Guard generals and nuclear scientists.

Events

19 h. ago Israeli drone hits facility in world’s largest gasfield, say Iranian media

Conflict between regional rivals enters a second day

Events

19 h. ago Israel hits facility in world’s largest gasfield, say Iranian media

Conflict between regional rivals enters a second day

Politics

19 h. ago How Ballymena boiled over: After horrifying riots sparked by two Romanians being accused of raping teen, RICHARD KAY meets the victims

But as dusk falls, the mood is transformed into something rather more sinister. Gangs of masked youths stalk the streets, barricades are set ablaze and the acrid smell of burning tyres fills the air.

Events

19 h. ago Petrol bombs and fireworks launched at police as Ballymena riots spread across Northern Ireland in fifth night of violence after 'alleged attempted rape of local girl, 16, by two Romanian teens'

Crowds of masked thugs gathered in Portadown where a protest had been held earlier in the evening before it descended into carnage.

Events

22 h. ago Iran launches salvo of ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israeli attacks on nuclear sites as war in Middle East explodes: Live updates

Iran vowed to respond 'harshly' to Israel's strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which have taken out top Revolutionary Guard generals and nuclear scientists.

Events

23 h. ago ICE preparing $45bn expansion of immigration detention facilities to meet arrest quota

Trump officials are looking to tent companies, private prison operators and disaster-relief providers for a “massive expansion” of immigration detention facilities, according to a new report

Events

24 h. ago Donald Trump is losing control of American foreign policy | Christopher S Chivvis

After Israel’s attacks on Iran and Ukraine’s on Russia, it is time the administration finds discipline and focus to regain authority of its foreign policyIran and the US have stood at a crossroads in recent weeks. Down one path lay negotiations that, while difficult, promised benefits to the citizens of both countries. Down the other path, a protracted war that promised little more than destruction.Back in 2018, Donald Trump had blocked the diplomatic path by tearing up the existing nuclear agreement with Iran – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But since beginning his second term in January he has been surprisingly open to negotiations with Tehran. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seemed ready to go along. Continue reading...

Politics

24 h. ago Minister asked to comment on detention of Irish politician in Egypt

The partner of an Irish politician who was detained in Egypt has called on Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister to make a statement on the matter.

Politics

24 h. ago Iran launches hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel as it begins major response to attacks on its nuclear sites: Live updates

Iran vowed to respond 'harshly' to Israel's strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which have taken out top Revolutionary Guard generals and nuclear scientists.

Events