Minister rejects Blair intervention, accusing ex-PM of retreading old arguments – UK politics live

• 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.

Search takes place amid intensifying focus on separate allegations of influence peddling as problems worsen for prime minister Pedro SanchezSpanish police entered the ruling Socialist Party’s headquarters in Madrid on a judicial order to gather information on a possible illegal financing scheme, several news Spanish news outlets reported.A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil force told Reuters officers had entered the premises but did not disclose any further details since the proceedings are secret. Continue reading...

Consumer think-tank says K-pop fans should know the prices before being sent into a ‘high-pressure sales funnel’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian fans of the K-pop group BTS are accusing the ticketing giant Ticketmaster of deploying “predatory” and “crazy” tactics, and have urged people to lodge formal complaints with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).Ticketmaster Australia announced concerts at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium and Sydney’s Accor Stadium in February 2027 as part of the South Korean boyband’s comeback tour after a four-year hiatus. Continue reading...

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...

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...

Strikes further strain supposed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and came as Iran said US had violated separate truceWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Israel pounded Lebanon with more than 120 airstrikes on Tuesday in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military was deepening its operations in the country.On Monday Netanyahu said Israel was “intensifying” its military operations in Lebanon, with the ​IDF operating with “large forces on ​the ‌ground” in order to take control of “strategic areas”.Meanwhile, the proposed peace agreement between Iran and the US seemed to remain on the table despite US bombings of Iranian targets. The Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US attack – aimed at missile launchers and efforts to lay fresh mines in the strait of Hormuz – as “an act of bad faith” and “a definitive violation of the ceasefire” and said it would not leave aggression unanswered. But Iran did not pull out of talks that were continuing under the joint mediation of Pakistan and Qatar. Here’s our report.US president Donald Trump will hold a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, with the Iran war expected to be at the top of the agenda. All cabinet members, including outgoing director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who leaves her post on 30 June, were expected to attend the meeting.US Central Command denied reports that that US navy has “quietly” resumed so-called ‘Project Freedom’ in the strait of Hormuz. “US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said in a statement shared on X.Oil rose back above $100 a barrel on Tuesday, after the fresh US strikes on Iran dashed hopes of a breakthrough, with experts saying that whatever the outcome of peace talks, the global energy market may now be past the “point of no return”.In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have killed Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Odeh in an airstrike, 11 days after killing his predecessor. In a statement on X, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, praised the IDF and intelligence agency Shin Bet for their “brilliant execution”. 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...