Mandelson files show no mitigation of security concerns over US appointment

• The House of Commons Library has published a comprehensive timeline documenting the major events of the Russia-Ukraine conflict from the February 2022 invasion to the present. • The report tracks key military developments, diplomatic efforts, and geopolitical shifts resulting from Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

• Defense experts are warning that future military conflicts will be decided by the speed at which targeting data is generated to deliver long-range effects. • This shift emphasizes a move toward rapid, automated targeting cycles to maintain a competitive edge in high-intensity warfare.

• Following US-Israel strikes and subsequent Iranian counter-strikes, a broader conflict has escalated involving Israel and Hezbollah. • On 28 February 2026, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer issued a joint statement with the leaders of France and Germany condemning Iran's military actions.

• U.S. Navy Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) are deploying to the Red Sea to project Marine power and secure critical international trade routes. • These forces utilize specialized amphibious connectors, such as Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft and Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels, to move personnel and equipment from ship to shore.

US senator says Platner, whose wife says he sent sexually explicit messages to other women, has ‘questions to answer’A high-profile Democrat has expressed concerns with party candidate Graham Platner’s Maine US Senate campaign amid revelations that Platner reportedly sent a number of sexually explicit messages to other women while married.“Yes, I have concerns,” Cory Booker, the US senator from New Jersey, said Sunday on ABC’s This Week when host Jonathan Karl when asked about the Platner revelations. “That guy has questions to answer – and that’s what campaigns are for.” Continue reading...

Sarah Wynn-Williams did not speak on stage on her lawyer’s advice amid tech firm’s sanctionFacebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence on stage at an event at Hay festival, after lawyers advised her not to speak because of ongoing legal action brought by Meta.Wynn-Williams, whose bestselling memoir, Careless People, details her years working at Facebook, was due to appear in conversation with the investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr and academic Tim Wu. Continue reading...

Attempted murder investigation launched after police officer struck by vehicle in DownpatrickPolice have launched an attempted murder investigation after an officer was hit by a stolen police vehicle in Northern Ireland.The officer, who fired his gun during the incident at 4.45am on Sunday, had been chasing a suspect on foot after another vehicle had earlier failed to stop for police in the Fountain Street area in Downpatrick, County Down. Continue reading...

Doug Burgum complains some musicians ‘segmented their audiences’ after artists back out of 250th anniversary eventThe Trump administration’s interior secretary, Doug Burgum, complained on Sunday that some musicians “seem to have segmented their audiences” after artists bailed on participating in a concert series planned for the 250th anniversary of the US’s independence.In the interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Burgum also dismissed calls to publicly identified who had made donations for the concert series – and maintained it was a “nonpartisan” event despite Donald Trump referring to it as a rally. Continue reading...

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus makes appeal after protests against protocols for handling bodies in Ituri province Containing the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo requires community cooperation and is “everybody’s business”, the World Health Organization has said.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation’s director general, made the plea on Sunday during a visit to eastern Congo where some residents have protested against stringent medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies. Continue reading...

Attack comes after Friday’s strike that killed three men as well, pushing death toll to more than 200 since last yearThe US military said on Saturday it had carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific killing three men, the second strike in as many days.Officials with the US Southern Command said in a post on X that intelligence had confirmed that the vessel was transiting along “narco-trafficking” routes in the eastern Pacific and engaged in “narco-trafficking” operations. Continue reading...

Buyers abandon auctions and Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra median house prices end May lower than they were at the end of 2025Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHome prices in Australia’s capital cities have begun to fall, with experts predicting the decline could last at least a year and wipe as much as 10% from values.The median capital city home price fell in May, the first decline since January 2025, as high interest rates and inflation stretched buyer budgets, Cotality reported on Monday. Auction success hit a new low for the year. Continue reading...