Israel Launches Ground Operations Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon as Iran Strikes Gulf

• Amnesty International investigation concludes the U.S. conducted an airstrike on an Iranian school, killing about 170 people, mostly children, amid escalating U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran. • The report highlights the attack as part of broader military actions that have injured at least 200 U.S. troops and killed 13 service members since the conflict began over two weeks ago. • Pentagon deploys thousands more U.S. Marines and warships to the Middle East, signaling intensified U.S. involvement in the region.

• Cuba's national electricity grid failed Monday, leaving millions without power in the third major blackout in four months due to U.S.-imposed energy blockade under President Trump. • Trump stated to reporters, 'I do believe I’ll be the honor of — having the honor of taking Cuba... think I could do anything I want with it,' amid reports of U.S. pressure for President Miguel Díaz-Canel to resign. • The crisis exacerbates humanitarian conditions on the island, tying into broader U.S. foreign policy shifts.

In letter to justice secretary, groups say judge-led decisions more likely to be influenced by bias than those made by 12 random people Thirty organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) have written to the justice secretary, David Lammy, urging him to drop plans to significantly reduce the number of jury trials.The groups said that the proposals, which will affect court cases in England and Wales, will deepen mistrust in the justice system among victims and distract from measures designed to reduce offending. Continue reading...

Minister says the change is needed to protect the corporation from repeated ‘culture war’ attacksThe government is to put the BBC’s charter on a permanent footing for the first time, after the corporation said the change was needed to protect it from political interference.In a significant change to the governance of the BBC, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said she wanted to grant the corporation’s demand for a permanent charter. She said she wanted to protect it from repeated “culture war” attacks. Continue reading...

Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre says connections have been proved between those in ‘trusted and central positions’ and late sex offenderThe Norwegian parliament has voted unanimously to appoint an independent investigative commission to look into connections between its foreign office and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Speaking before the vote on Tuesday, the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, paid tribute to Epstein’s victims and said that the files released by the US Department of Justice had clearly shown “it is possible to buy and abuse influence if you are rich enough”. Continue reading...

Cutting period of protection from five years to 30 months is a risk to social cohesion, say bishops, rabbis and imamReligious leaders have said that plans to rip up the UK’s asylum rules by ending the right to permanent refugee status would damage integration and should be rethought.A group, which includes seven bishops, three rabbis and an imam, said they had “grave concerns” about Shabana Mahmood’s proposed changes to settlement and citizenship rules. Continue reading...

Kalshi calls Arizona’s case ‘paper-thin’ and says the platform should not be overseen by ‘inconsistent state laws’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxArizona’s attorney general on Tuesday filed criminal charges against Kalshi, accusing the prediction markets platform of operating an illegal gambling business in the state and unlawfully allowing people to place bets on elections.The charges filed by Kris Mayes, the Arizona attorney general, marked the first time a state has pursued a criminal case against Kalshi, which has been at the center of an escalating battle over the ability of state gaming regulators to police prediction markets operators. Continue reading...

The final instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy brings back Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Florence Piugh and introduces a nasty new villainTimothée Chalamet may have finally escaped Oscar season, but not movie promotion – the first look at Dune: Part Three is here.The first trailer released for the final installment in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy sees further war and political upheaval in the galaxy beyond Arrakis – plus, a possible future child for Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Chani, the Fremen warrior played by Zendaya. “If we have a girl, what should be name her?” Chani asks, suggesting the two have reconciled since the end of Part Two. Continue reading...

Home secretary Yvette Cooper says this amounts to a third of those who were in region at outset of hostilitiesThe number of UK nationals flown back from the Middle East since the start of the conflict with Iran reached 100,000 on Tuesday, Britain’s foreign secretary has said.This is a third of the 300,000 who were in the region at the outset of hostilities, Yvette Cooper told parliament, many of whom were stuck when airspace was closed. The figure included tourists and Gulf residents who have temporary left. Continue reading...

The University of Florida campus group says the suspension over an off-campus post violated free speechSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA dispute among student Republican groups in Florida over alleged antisemitic behavior is heading for a courtroom after a chapter at the state’s flagship university was suspended for an online post featuring two people giving Nazi salutes.On Saturday, University of Florida (UF) blocked campus operations of the school’s College Republicans after the group’s state leadership said it had disbanded the chapter for engaging in “a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture”. Continue reading...

As outbreak in Kent claims the lives of two young people, experts advise against rushing to get a vaccinePharmacies in England are reporting a surge in demand for meningitis vaccines after an outbreak in Kent claimed the lives of two young people and left others in hospital.However experts have advised against rushing to get a jab, stressing public health authorities are best placed to determine if vaccinations are required – and for whom. Continue reading...