Middle East crisis live: Lebanon hit by one of the heaviest days of Israeli bombing in weeks

• A Horn Institute publication says the U.S.-Israel war on Iran has widened into a broader conflict with effects that are now reaching Africa. • The analysis describes mounting diplomatic and security dilemmas for African states as regional shockwaves spread beyond the Middle East.

• The United States has paused its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, the long-running U.S.-Canada military consultation forum, according to a CSIS analysis published this week. • CSIS says the pause comes about six weeks before the mandatory USMCA joint review, which makes the timing politically sensitive for both countries.

Dong Guangping has tried to escape on several previous occasions after been jailed for his activism in ChinaA Chinese dissident has washed up on the shores of South Korea after attempting to flee China in a rubber boat.Dong Guangping, 68, is in custody in South Korea, having been detained by the coastguard on Monday evening. He is thought to have travelled more than 30 hours by sea to reach the shores of China’s democratic neighbour. Continue reading...

Tony Blair has accused Starmer, Burnham and Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk amid leadership speculationGood morning. Labour is in the midst of ‘phoney war’ leadership contest. The formal bit has not started yet, but Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting are already actively engaged, Angela Rayner is taking an interest, and Keir Starmer is defending his legacy with renewed vigour. The last thing anyone expected was for Tony Blair to join in.But he has, sort of, with a 5,700-word essay, published last night on his thinktank’s website, setting out where the former PM thinks his part is going wrong (on most things, it seems) and what he thinks it should do next. Blair, of course, won’t be a candidate in the leadership contest, but ideas matter in politics and this essay is chock-full of them. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Nursing and Midwifery Council admits it did not carry out checks on professionals who broke the lawNurses and midwives who should have been banned from treating patients have practised over the last 12 years because of “potentially dangerous” failings by a medical regulator.The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has admitted that its “completely and utterly unacceptable” mistakes meant it failed to protect the public from about 15 professionals whom it should have banned from ever working in healthcare in the UK because they had broken the law. Continue reading...

Tourists and locals in Madrid, Paris, London, Dublin and Berlin share their experiences of the unseasonable May temperaturesIn recent days across parts of Europe, temperatures have soared, heat records have been broken and spring has felt more like the height of summer. Météo France, the French national weather service, has attributed this to a “heat dome”, with warmth held in place by a high-pressure weather front that has produced temperatures more than 10C above what used to be usual for this time of year.Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather around the world, driving deadly extremes that can strike at abnormal times in unusual places and claim lives. Continue reading...

Welfare advocates say while the reforms are a step in the right direction, the privatised employment services model has failed and should be torn upGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMutual obligations will be different for every welfare recipient, the employment minister, Amanda Rishworth, says, signalling an end to jobseekers being forced to submit “endless” applications for roles they may not be qualified for.But welfare advocates and a key trade union have said Labor’s employment system changes don’t go far enough and fall short of the reform needed to the failure-plagued sector – they have called for an end to the privatised job services mode,l which Rishworth admits is not providing enough help.At the lower level, a digital service with “individualised resources and brief interventions” for people who are work-ready but need help finding the right job fit;a “targeted provider-led” stream to help people build skills and confidence to gain employment;and at the upper end, more intensive services for people with complex requirements, who will be given more time, flexibility and support to build their confidence and capabilities. Continue reading...

The $26m deal involving media executive Bruce McWilliam signifies return to media business for mining billionaire after previous holdings in Fairfax and TenFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, has bankrolled former Seven media executive Bruce McWilliam’s acquisition of an almost 10% stake in Southern Cross Media, which owns the Seven Network, the Triple M and Hit radio brands and West Australian Newspapers.While the unusual arrangement – worth about $26m – does not give Rinehart a direct stake in Southern Cross, she could take control of the shares if McWilliam breaches the terms of their deed, which was published on the ASX on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Head of BHP’s WA iron ore operations unable to give firm timeline for replacing diesel trucks as leaked documents reveal decarbonisation delayRead more from the BHP files investigation hereGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA senior BHP executive has admitted the Australian multinational’s push to reduce emissions has been delayed as the Western Australian premier, Roger Cook, said big miners had an “important moral obligation” to decarbonise.An exclusive investigation based on documents leaked to the Guardian and ABC revealed this week that the world’s biggest miner has hit the brakes on decarbonisation, something experts fear could put Australia’s national emissions reductions targets at risk. Continue reading...

Average gas and electricity bill to jump to £1,862 a year from July until end of September, in part because of Iran warHouseholds will face the steepest summer rise in energy charges in four years after months of soaring market prices caused the government’s energy price cap for Great Britain to climb by 13%.Under the cap the average gas and electricity bill will increase to the equivalent of £1,862 a year from July until the end of September to take account of the rise in global energy market prices caused by the war on Iran. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As heatwaves intensify, ​B​ritain must confront the limits of a society built for cool​er weather, forcing policymakers, communities and households to rethink how ​w​e live, work and stay coolThe UK swelters once again. On Tuesday, temperatures surged to 35C, condemning millions of people to another sticky night in homes ill-prepared for such warm conditions.The heat is record-breaking: we are still in spring, yet temperatures are close to extremes we once never expected even in high summer. Yorkshire experienced its first ever “tropical night” in spring on Monday, when the evening temperature failed to fall below 20C. Health alerts remain in effect across large parts of the country due to the increased likelihood of deaths, particularly among vulnerable and elderly people. Yet, experts warn, this may just be the road to a new normal.UK politics | Tony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election.UK news | One out of every five people arrested after their participation in the 2024 summer riots has since been reported to the police for domestic abuse, the Guardian can disclose.Middle East | The continuing US-Israel war on Iran has compounded other global disasters to drive record numbers of people into hunger at a time when funding to combat famine has fallen dramatically, the head of the UN World Food Programme has said.UK news | The court of appeal will review the non-custodial sentences given to three teenage boys for the rape of two girls, Keir Starmer has announced.US politics | Alabama cannot use a new Republican-friendly map in this year’s midterm elections because it intentionally discriminates against Black voters, a panel of three federal judges have ruled. Continue reading...