Middle East crisis live: Iran says no final peace agreement reached, after Trump claims deal could be signed soon

• Rebel fighters besieging El Obeid, Sudan, are using drone attacks that have put approximately 500,000 civilians at risk of large-scale atrocities. • The ongoing conflict has displaced over 14 million people internally and pushed millions toward famine while severely limiting humanitarian access.

• The U.S. and Iran have held separate meetings in Qatar, agreeing to maintain ongoing discussions to address diplomatic tensions. • A separate report highlights that Donald Trump earned tens of millions of dollars from properties in countries reliant on U.S. military support or seeking tariff relief.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has significantly increased funding for the U.K. military in one of his final major acts of office. • The decision to boost weapons spending on Tuesday prioritizes military expansion over domestic welfare programs.

• Venezuela's healthcare system has reached a breaking point following two powerful earthquakes that struck the country nearly a week ago. • The government reports that the death toll has surpassed 1,900 people, while thousands of displaced citizens are currently living in unsanitary conditions.

• Professor C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), and MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor addressed the Japanese parliament. • The event took place on the eve of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's official visit to India to strengthen bilateral relations.

• Prof Raj Kumar and Shashi Tharoor addressed Japan's National Diet to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Japan. • The discussions focused on leveraging education and parliamentary diplomacy as key pillars to deepen bilateral ties beyond traditional crisis management.

The woman, 31, suffered some injuries but was found alert and in good spirits on Mount Shasta, officials saidA novice climber was rescued after surviving a 1,500ft fall down California’s Mount Shasta on Sunday, officials said.The woman, 31, was attempting to ascend the mountain along the Left of Heart variation of the popular Avalanche Gulch route alongside two other novice climbers at an elevation of about 13,000ft when she fell. Continue reading...

El-Sayed, backed by Bernie Sanders, leads polls ahead of Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow in primaryUS politics live – latest updatesAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez has thrown her support behind Abdul El-Sayed, the doctor and progressive Democrat seeking the party’s nomination in Michigan’s closely watched US Senate race.In an interview with the New York Times, Ocasio-Cortez – an influential congresswoman on the left of the Democratic party – endorsed El-Sayed, a former public health director. “Despite our ideological differences and whatever disagreements there are in the party, every single one of us sees this moment as existential,” she said. Continue reading...

Claims against Israel Defense Forces battalion include deliberate targeting and destruction of residential buildings in 2023 and 2024 without military justificationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian federal police investigators are assessing a brief detailing alleged war crimes committed by an Australian citizen serving in the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza.A 61-page brief has been handed to the AFP by the Australian Centre for International Justice detailing alleged war crimes committed by an IDF battalion in Gaza across 2023 and 2024. Continue reading...

Swiss bank UBS finds ‘growing divide between the wealthiest and the broader population’ as country adds more than 25,000 more millionairesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMiddle Australia’s wealth is going backwards while the richest claim an ever-greater share of the pile, according to new research that shows more than 25,000 people across the country became millionaires last year.The latest global wealth report from the Swiss bank UBS said 2025 marked “an extraordinary year”, in which close to a million new millionaires were created worldwide – a record increase in a single year. Continue reading...

Poll also finds perception of Donald Trump has soured since his re-election, with fewer than a third of respondents viewing him positivelyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians have a more negative view of Israel than of China, the latest Guardian Essential poll has found, with women and middle-aged people exhibiting the least positive perception of Israel.The poll also finds Australians’ perceptions of Donald Trump have tumbled since his re-election, with fewer than a third of voters having a positive response to the US president. Continue reading...

‘Rooftopers’ Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were arrested after allegedly scaling the New York skyscraperTwo Russian “rooftoppers” who staged an apparent marriage proposal at the peak of the Empire State Building’s spire were reportedly arraigned in New York on Thursday on a slew of charges including reckless endangerment.Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were arrested on Wednesday after the stunt, which featured the pair, dressed in all black, unfurling a peace banner and kissing. Continue reading...