How Trump and his administration have mired the US in multiple crises

• The US-Iran ceasefire is reportedly crumbling, leading to the reimposition of a US naval blockade on Iran. • This escalation marks a significant shift in international affairs, signaling a breakdown in diplomatic efforts to maintain regional stability.

• The global economic and political systems, which functioned effectively for nearly 80 years following World War II, are currently facing significant stress. • This era of stability was established after the United States assisted Britain and its allies in winning the Second World War.

• Iran is adapting its military strategy to bypass US defenses by launching high-speed, maneuverable missiles targeting US bases in the region. • This escalation follows claims made by Iran in May 2025 regarding the development of maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) capabilities.

Preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as US and Iran fight to break deadlock over strait of HormuzUS says another service member killed as Israel warns Tehran’s attacks coming closeHello and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East.The US military says it is beginning its ninth night of strikes on Iran, with an interim deal aimed at ending the war appearing to have all but collapsed.Bahrain’s interior ministry said overnight to Monday that its air raid sirens had sounded. “Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” it said on X. Bahrain, host of the US Fifth Fleet, has been targeted by Iranian strikes in recent days.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday it launched a “surprise attack” on an enemy command centre in Syria, in a statement reported by state news agency Irna. They attack was “in revenge for the blood of martyred soldiers of Iranshahr”, a city in south-east Iran, Irna said on Telegram.Iran said it targeted two US bases in Kuwait in response to more than a week of intensifying attacks, which Tehran says have hit transport and infrastructure sites, including an under-construction nuclear power plant.Kuwait and Bahrain have borne the brunt of attacks by Iran on its Gulf neighbours since hostilities resumed this month despite a ceasefire and memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.Jordan also reported intercepting missiles, a day after the US military said the two service members were killed there Friday and another had gone missing in action as they “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks”.US Central Command’s announcement that a service member died in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of an unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone brought to 17 the confirmed number of American military fatalities since the war began. Iran’s health ministry said on ‌Saturday that 50 people had been killed ​and more than 500 injured in US strikes ​on the country over the past three weeks. Continue reading...

Vice-president and second lady announced birth of Alec Neel Vance, their fourth child, in social media statementVice-President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, on Sunday announced the birth of their fourth child, the first born to a sitting vice-president in more than 150 years.Born on Sunday, Alec Neel Vance joins older siblings Ewan, nine; Vivek, six; and Mirabel, four. Continue reading...

In its final report the High Pay Centre says the median remuneration of a FTSE 100 CEO has risen to a record £5.06mThe bosses of Britain’s largest listed companies received record pay last year, fuelling the widest earnings gap with workers in eight years.Median pay for FTSE 100 chief executives hit £5.06m in the last financial year, according to data released by the High Pay Centre, an 8.6% increase on £4.66m the previous year and the highest level on record. Continue reading...

Victims were Provo’s fire captain, his wife and their three sons, who were hiking in Bicknell amid heavy rainsFive family members who had set out for a day of hiking were killed after a flash flood swept through canyons of southern Utah on Friday, law enforcement officials said.The victims were a captain in the Provo fire department, his wife and their sons, according to fire officials. A daughter who was not on the trip survived. Continue reading...

Albanese’s comments come as One Nation leader nears end of UK tour. Follow today’s news liveAlbanese helps launch major air combat exerciseAnthony Albanese has announced the official opening of Exercise Pitch Black 2026, Australia’s premier international air combat exercise, happening in Darwin.Australia is strongest when we work closely with our partners.Exercise Pitch Black strengthens those partnerships and demonstrates Australia’s commitment to working closely across our region to support peace, stability and security.When I have the opportunity to represent Australia overseas, I talk Australia up.I don’t talk Australia down. I go as someone who’s proud to represent our nation and proud to talk about what we are as a nation. There’s nowhere you’d rather be than Australia, and I think that it is up to our representatives, no matter where they stand in the parliament, when they’re overseas, to talk Australia up, not talk Australia down. Continue reading...

US military says service member was killed in Iraq during ‘controlled detonation’ as it launches more airstrikes at IranThe US military announced another death of a service member as it launched more airstrikes at Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of American troops , and Iran fired missiles toward Jordan that risked widening the conflict into neighboring Israel.The US military said the service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. Continue reading...

Emergency response has rescued 67 people, including 15 children, from one of the country’s worst maritime disastersA ferry carrying 116 passengers and crew sank ⁠off the coast of Guyana in South America ⁠late Saturday, with 67 ⁠people, ​including 15 children, rescued so far, according to Guyana ⁠authorities.A massive search-and-rescue operation continues for dozens of missing passengers in what has been described by officials as one of the country’s worst maritime disasters. Continue reading...

US president watches Spain v Argentina matchWorld Cup final: live coverage of the matchDonald Trump took his place at the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.Trump arrived at the stadium on Marine One, with the president’s helicopter first flying over the stadium around 45 minutes before kickoff. There was little reaction from the crowd as the aircraft flew over the stadium, with Marine One landing nearby a few minutes later. The president was seated in a glassed-in section of luxury seats on the west side of the stadium shortly before kickoff, along with the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino. Other dignitaries and former players sat nearby, including Spain’s king, Felipe VI, Canada prime minister Mark Carney and Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum. Continue reading...

Energy secretary grapples with mounting criticism over length of US war as Democrat calls conflict ‘war of choice’A Trump administration official on Sunday grappled with mounting criticism over the length of the US war with Iran after months of promised diplomatic breakthroughs, short-lived ceasefires, and the deaths of two more American troops in Jordan bringing the total number of American military members killed in the conflict to 16.Appearing on ABC’s This Week, US energy secretary Chris Wright defended the Trump administration’s strategy after being confronted with his earlier claims that the war which began in February would have ended by now. Continue reading...