Gulf countries are in a grey zone between war and peace

• Morocco has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening global humanitarian action, guided by the humanist vision of King Mohammed VI. • The initiative calls for systemic reforms, including increased investment in prevention, improved coordination with development efforts, and renewed global solidarity.

Environmental and refugee groups have joined forces to benefit lives and wildlife in Wales and elsewhereShielding his eyes from the blinding midday sun, Abdullah, a Sudanese asylum seeker, gazes out at the expanse of green in Tŷ Mawr country park in north Wales.“This place is so beautiful,” he says. “It feels a very long way from the Home Office.” Continue reading...

Disruption at Channel crossings expected to rise amid new fingerprinting and facial recognition checksFrance and the UK have agreed to increase staffing at border controls in response to warnings of travel chaos caused by new fingerprinting and facial recognition checks.Disruption at Channel crossings is expected to rise sharply next weekend at the start of the summer holiday season, with MPs warning of “utter chaos and miles of tailbacks” unless the EU’s entry/exit system (EES) is fixed or checks are suspended. Continue reading...

The media-savvy mayor’s popularity has only grown as the Murdoch-owned tabloid has thrown everything at himThe rightwing New York Post has attacked Zohran Mamdani as a communist, a hater of the police, an antisemite, a driver-away-of-billionaires, and as someone who isn’t very good at bench press.But six months into his mayoralty, Mamdani has so far succeeded where most of his predecessors have failed: he has bested the city’s most powerful tabloid. Continue reading...

Graham’s abrupt death will send shock waves through Washington and the Republican partyLindsey Graham, a longtime US senator and key ally of Donald Trump, has died from a sudden illness, his office said on Sunday. He had just turned 71.Graham’s abrupt death will send shock waves through Washington and the Republican party. He had served in the Senate since 2003, representing South Carolina, and was running for re-election in November. Continue reading...

City official says staffers were performing ‘routine park maintenance’ where 15 people have gathered for monthsCity employees in Atlanta, Georgia, recently threw away tents, medication, identification and other belongings of unhoused people at a public park without warning. This led activists and a local official to point to an apparent violation of procedures created after a city employee ran over a tent with a front loader last year, killing a man.The sweep through the park occurred less than a mile from a popular spot for World Cup watch parties, drawing into focus ongoing tension over the issue of what happens to the city’s several thousand unhoused people during the month-long event. Continue reading...

Higher education chiefs, academics and students to give evidence this week at royal commission Australian universities will be required to adopt definitions on antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from next year, under a legally enforceable standard designed to stamp out discrimination on campuses.Details of the anti-racism standard will be published on Monday as university bosses, students and academics prepare to appear at the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion. Continue reading...

Officers say they are not looking for anyone else after arrest of man, 28, on suspicion of murdering ex-Tory politicianDetectives investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe have said there is “nothing to suggest it was politically motivated”.A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the murder of the former Conservative MP at an address in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with Widdecombe’s death. Continue reading...

Tensions between progressive and moderate camps of Democratic party on display in key Senate race in Michigan The Israel-Gaza war created gaping divisions in the Democratic party and contributed to a resounding loss in a critical presidential election year in 2024. Two years later, the issue continues to dominate races across the country, as progressives try to seize on Israel’s falling popularity and a broad anti-war sentiment ahead of November’s midterms.A recent debate among two Democrats vying for one of the most competitive US Senate seats in the country openly displayed the tension between progressive and moderate camps of the party. Continue reading...

Miller takes indefinite leave after arm amputation and questions of possible financial improprietiesAn on-air analyst for a top US sports broadcaster says he is pulling back from his role indefinitely as he heals from a car crash in Missouri that forced him to undergo a life-saving amputation – and while he reportedly faces a law enforcement investigation into possible financial improprieties connected to what he billed as side charity work.Matt Miller’s announcement on Friday that he was taking indefinite leave from ESPN provided only the latest twist in an unusual case that has drawn significant attention from both media as well as the substantial number of American football fanatics who follow his area of expertise: the process by which NFL teams select, or draft, collegiate prospects. Continue reading...

Gallery director says collection of 140 paintings will offer a more balanced view of Manchester painter’s workA new exhibition of work by LS Lowry will “bust a few myths” about the Mancunian artist, who the show’s co-curator says is still wrongly derided for being “naive and uncultured”.LS Lowry: the Theatre of Life features 140 paintings by the artist, who captured working-class life in the industrial north-west of England during the early and mid 20th century. Continue reading...