World news | The Guardian

In today's newsletter: senior international correspondent Julian Borger on what next as Iran targets its Gulf neighbours and the conflict escalatesGood morning. The regional war many countries had long feared is here.On Saturday, global attention turned to Iran after an extraordinary joint aerial assault by the US and Israel. The intense bombardment was followed with news of the assassination of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with large numbers of Iran's military and political leadership.Middle East | Israel's determination to attack Iran and the certainty US troops would be targeted in response forced the Trump administration to take pre-emptive strikes, Marco Rubio said, in a new explanation for Washington's surprise entry into the conflict.Travel | More than 100,000 Britons were stranded in the Gulf on Monday, with airspace in the region still closed to most flights and overland evacuation regarded as risky.UK politics | Nigel Farage has been accused of Donald Trump-style election denial by the Green party's new MP for Gorton and Denton, after he claimed her Reform rival came first" among British-born voters in last week's byelection.UK news | Scotland has become the first part of the UK to legalise hydrolysis, an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial, reflecting increasing demand for more sustainable funeral arrangements.Environment | UK programmes to protect nature and the climate in developing countries are suffering budget cuts despite ministers' promises, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...

Beijing can again leverage its critical minerals dominance over an increasingly busy US military, as Taiwan slides further down the White House list of prioritiesAs the US and Israel opened a new chapter of chaos in the Middle East, China stands to benefit from a Washington establishment that does not have the political or physical resources to focus on Asia.Officially, China has condemned the attacks. Wang Yi, the foreign minister, called them unacceptable" and called for a ceasefire, rhetoric that is typical of Beijing in response to Donald Trump's increasingly erratic foreign policy moves. Continue reading...

Donald Trump says the war could go on for four-five weeks, adding US has capability to go far longer'

Small employers won't be exempt from proposed legislation designed to allow off-site working two days a week

This live blog is now closed.

Latest research based on animal model trials shows GLP-1 drugs may prevent problem of no-reflow' in recoveryWeight-loss drugs could help people who have had a heart attack avoid suffering potentially fatal complications afterwards, research has found.Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy reduce the risk of the tissue damage that affects up to half of the 100,000 people a year in the UK who suffer a heart attack, according to the study. Continue reading...

Law Society says home secretary's review of refugee status after 30 months is in tension with UK's legal obligationsShabana Mahmood's decision to tell every person applying for asylum from Monday that their status is temporary could undermine the refugee convention, the Law Society has said.The body representing solicitors in England and Wales said the home secretary's move to review every refugee's status after 30 months was in tension" with the UK's legal obligations. Continue reading...

Billionaire Paramount Skydance chief announces plan days after winning takeover battle for Warner Bros Discovery

Workplace Gender Equality Agency report shows a slight increase in number of women in highly paid roles, which are still dominated by men

Former Oxford professor Tariq Ramadan did not appear in court as he was in a Geneva hospital, according to lawyersThe prominent Swiss academic and Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan has not appeared in court for the first day of his trial in Paris on charges of raping three women in France between 2009 and 2016.The head judge in the case adjourned proceedings until Wednesday and ordered a medical report on Ramadan's health, after his lawyers said he was in hospital in Geneva because of his multiple sclerosis. Continue reading...

Digital censorship analysts argue current outage is mostly about survival and control for the country's rulers

Two more drones intercepted on Monday, authorities say, in what appears to be sustained targeting of base

Meeting of six-country cooperation council says option to respond to attacks by Tehran remains on the table

How the US-Israeli war against Iran exploded into a regional conflict, as Tehran retaliated with strikes across the Middle East

Queensland senator also billed taxpayers for flights to campaign alongside her daughter, Lee Hanson, in Tasmania at last election

Exclusive: National Film and Television School introduces fully accessible accommodation and bursary scheme at its Beaconsfield campusFor a long time, physically disabled students who dreamed of studying at the UK's most prestigious film and TV production school had nowhere to stay in the local area. And when they commuted, they would encounter hundreds of inaccessible areas on campus.In an industry where just 12% of TV employees are disabled, compared with 18% in the labour market as a whole, something had to change. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed

Grenade-throwing contests replaced PE and denazification' speeches became homework. Pavel Talankin's undercover film about his school's indoctrination drive won a Bafta and is tipped for an Oscar, but has left him in exileIn order to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary in which many of them have starring roles, pupils at Karabash School No 1 have had to source bootlegged copies, viewing the film in private, on their phones or their laptops.Last week's Bafta best documentary win for Mr Nobody Against Putin has been studiously ignored by Russian state media, and the prize the film won at Sundance last year was also met with silence. Staff at the school and government officials in the Kremlin seem united in their desire to pretend that they know nothing about the film. Continue reading...

Opposition leader suggests 23 children and 11 women attempting to leave al-Roj are Islamic State sympathisers'

US president signals willingness to engage with Tehran's surviving leadership as strikes and retaliatory attacks intensify across region

Tufan Erginbilgic says decision is for the government but German participation remains a possibilityThe boss of Rolls-Royce has said he would welcome Germany helping to build Britain's next-generation fighter jet, arguing that it would bring in more business for the project.The aircraft, designed to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon, is a joint effort between the UK, Italy and Japan. Rolls-Royce is building the engine for the jet, which has attracted fresh attention as plans for a rival Franco-German warplane edge towards collapse. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Follow news and updates from the US-Israel war on Iran in our new live blog here

Eclipse will feature a deep, coppery-red full moon on 3 March, with scientists predicting the best times to see it

Within hours of the prime minister's statement, the UK's Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus was reportedly hit by a droneThe UK has agreed to let the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites, Keir Starmer has said.The UK has so far not been involved in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but in a recorded statement on Sunday evening, the prime minister said that Iran's approach was becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk, leading to the decision to allow the US to use two of its military bases. Continue reading...

On tour of returns centre, home secretary says legitimate grievances' have to be acknowledged as part of responsible' politics

US government buildings in Karachi and Baghdad targeted by crowds after killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

British forces in Bahrain and Iraq being drawn into Iran conflict in defence of civilian sites and military assets

Thinktank's board distances itself from Josh Simons' decision in 2023 to hire lobbying firm to investigate journalistsA Labour thinktank that helped Keir Starmer into No 10 has said it is making a clean break" from the past after its former director, Josh Simons, resigned as a minister over a report falsely linking journalists to a pro-Kremlin" network.The board of Labour Together distanced itself from Simons' decision in 2023 to hire a lobbying firm to investigate Sunday Times, Guardian and independent reporters who were looking into its failure to declare more than 700,000 in donations. Continue reading...

Hostility to the US is high even among reformists, which may set the surviving leadership on a destructive path

Senators Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham defend attack, Democrats say administration must answer vital questions

Some publicly mourn leader's demise but videos also show jubilant response after violent crackdown in January

Regulator says Prof Jacob George will no longer be involved after gender-criticial social media posts from last yearA health official who reportedly intervened to pause a clinical trial on the use of puberty blockers has been removed from any further involvement due to accusations of bias.Prof Jacob George, who was appointed chief medical and scientific officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in January, raised concerns that led to the Pathways trial being put on hold by the government, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

Missiles and bombs landed across Iran, hitting political and security targets in Tehran, including supreme leader's residence

Party leader Zack Polanski says surge in numbers proves that the future of progressive politics belongs to the Greens'The Green party said its membership had passed 200,000 this weekend in the wake of its victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection, in which it overturned a huge Labour majority.The party's membership has tripled since September last year, when it was about 68,000, after the announcement of Zack Polanski as its leader. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Police forces argue bean-bag and foam baton rounds are less harmful than firearms, but the projectiles have been linked to deaths around the world

Experts say trusted adults must be brave and discuss issue or risk children looking for answers from unsafe sourcesTeachers and parents in the UK need to be brave and discuss Jeffrey Epstein's crimes with children and young people or risk them looking for answers from dubious or dangerous sources, according to experts who will host the first public seminar for schools on the issue.Thrive, the education consultancy hosting the online seminar on the convicted child sex offender, said: Many children and young people are encountering this material often without context, warnings or adult support, leaving educators to manage the emotional and safeguarding impact in real time." Continue reading...

After byelection defeat and with right-leaning advisers gone, will PM return to his instincts and embrace Labour DNA' on climate?Less than a year ago, Keir Starmer stood in front of an audience of senior officials and business leaders from 60 countries in London to declare climate action was in the DNA of my government".Vowing to go all out" for net zero and to accelerate" while others were slowing down, the Lancaster House speech was his strongest intervention yet on the issue. We're paying the price for our overexposure to the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets," he said. Homegrown clean energy is the only way to take back control of our energy system." Continue reading...

Authorities seek to reassure visitors after tourists at five-star resorts had to shelter in underground car parks

Donald Trump threatens to unleash force that has never been seen before' in response to retaliation from Tehran

Employees say they have heard little from major defense contractor V2X Inc about safety and evacuation protocolsEmployees of major defense contractor V2X Inc on US military bases in Kuwait say they lack adequate bunker facilities and have had their pay reduced amid Iranian missile attacks across the Persian Gulf region, while receiving limited communication from their employer about safety and evacuation procedures.The Guardian interviewed three V2X employees on the US bases Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring in Kuwait, following Iranian missile strikes on Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan on Saturday. Continue reading...

Antics of RFK Jr, Kristi Noem and others prompt derision - could their erratic behaviour prove president's undoing?Heads bowed, linked by arms across their backs, they gathered in a solemn prayer circle. The quiet moments are often the most important," Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, reflected later on social media. Then Team Trump entered the chamber to cheers and applause for Tuesday's State of the Union address.Democrats gathered on Capitol Hill, however, regarded the people appointed by Donald Trump to his cabinet and other senior positions rather differently. In the past two weeks alone, they saw a health secretary who boasted about snorting cocaine off toilet seats; a homeland security secretary who allegedly fired a pilot for leaving her blanket on a plane; and an FBI director who chugged beer with Olympic hockey players in Italy at taxpayers' expense. Continue reading...

John Healey says there is real and rising threat' from Iran as US and Israeli military action divides political opinion

Woman deceived into relationship tells spycops inquiry the trip was not to meet Italian socialists, as Carlo Soracchi claimsAn undercover police officer is facing allegations that he used taxpayers' money to pay for a romantic break in Venice with a woman he was deceiving into a long-term relationship, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Carlo Soracchi pretended to be an activist for six years while he infiltrated socialist and anti-fascist campaign groups. Continue reading...

Ben Saul says rolling over' after Israel and US attack is counterproductive for middle powers because it undermines rules-based order

Investors are shifting toward physical assets that are partially insulated from disruption, says Goldman SachsInvestors have a new mantra as they prepare for AI to shake up the global economy - the Halo trade.Interest in Halo - short for heavy assets, low obsolescence" - has risen as investors seek out companies with tangible, productive assets, which might be insulated from AI disruption, such as energy and transport infrastructure companies. Continue reading...

Labour peer, who was a child refugee, criticises home secretary's response to Gorton and Denton byelection defeatThe home secretary's decision to double down on hardline immigration reforms in light of Labour's byelection defeat to the Green party is disappointing", according to the Labour peer Alf Dubs.Lord Dubs, a child refugee who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, had previously accused Shabana Mahmood of pulling up the drawbridge" on child migrants. Continue reading...

The text mimics a common fraud, but differs in that criminals appear to have hacked a genuine business accountJohn the delivery driver has tried to drop off something at your home from a company called Cleaning Superstore but you missed him, according to the message you have received via WhatsApp.Although you cannot remember buying anything from the company, the text appears to have come from a legitimate WhatsApp account so you try to rearrange delivery by clicking the link provided. Continue reading...

Confirmation of supreme leader's killing follows announcement by Donald Trump that one of the most evil people in history, is dead'

London mayor criticises PM for calling Greens extreme' after Gorton and Denton loss, saying it is a flawed strategy'

After a heist and the departure of its boss, the French institution wrestles with water leaks, strikes and much-criticised plans for a 1bn renovationJust over a year ago, Laurence des Cars, the intellectually brilliant (if famously prickly) former head of the largest and most-visited museum in the world, wrote a somewhat alarming note to her boss, France's culture minister.Des Cars, who on Tuesday resigned as president of the Louvre, lamented the advanced state of disrepair of the iconic museum's buildings and galleries. Continue reading...