Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack ‘on hold’ due to request from Gulf allies

• The UK government is facing accusations of failing to prevent the UAE from supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the ongoing conflict in Sudan. • Evidence including satellite imagery, leaked documents, and on-the-ground footage has been used to trace the movement of arms into the region.

• UN relief chief Martin Griffiths has sounded an alarm regarding the escalation of violence in Sudan's North Kordofan region. • He emphasized that humanitarian workers must be granted safe, unimpeded access to reach vulnerable populations affected by the conflict.

• A growing number of "UN Sceptics" are questioning the continued relevance of the United Nations due to its perceived inability to stop global violence. • The organization's helplessness is highlighted by the ongoing bloodshed and instability in Gaza, Lebanon, and the invasion-shattered regions of Ukraine.

• Col. Saikat K. Bose argues that the United Nations' value is often underestimated because critics focus on its failure to prevent major wars. • The author highlights that the UN's true strength lies in its routine, less visible functions, such as providing global coordination, legal frameworks, and trust to prevent smaller crises from escalating.

• The White House has appointed Harvard astronomer and cosmologist Avi Loeb to lead a new scientific advisory council investigating the national security risks posed by UFOs. • Loeb, a former head of Harvard’s astronomy department known for his controversial theories on alien visits, will lead the study into mysterious orbs reported by military personnel.

• The UN Secretary-General introduced the preliminary report from the Independent Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and welcomed the General Assembly's decision to reform the organization's financial rules. • In Lebanon, thousands of displaced people continue to rely on humanitarian aid, with UN agencies and first responders providing food, water, emergency shelter, and psychological support.

• 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.

• 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.

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Culture secretary says her department will stop using platform, citing concerns over far-right content fuelling violence and divisionThe UK’s culture and media department will stop using X because the site “now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate”, Lisa Nandy has announced.The culture secretary’s department is the UK’s second to quit the Elon Musk-owned platform over increasing concerns about the way it highlights and prioritises often inaccurate far-right and racist content and is used to incite violence and division. Continue reading...

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Office for Environmental Protection finds failures by department when it granted emergency authorisation in 2023 and 2024The UK government breached environmental law on several occasions when granting farmers permission to use a bee-killing pesticide, a watchdog has found.In 2023 and 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the then Conservative government granted emergency authorisation to allow farmers to use a banned neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet crops. Continue reading...