Southampton residents in shock after night of ‘terrifying’ protest violence

• International NGOs are warning of a collapsing humanitarian situation in Yemen four years after the United Nations truce. • Geopolitical friction and tactical exploitation by disruptive actors are currently hindering regional stability and economic growth initiatives.

• The Albanese government is facing increasing pushback over proposed reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with critics warning that cuts could cause significant harm to participants. • In the Middle East, Israel continued its overnight offensive, while Tehran announced it is halting peace talks and intends to fully close the strait of Hormuz.

With corrupt police on the streets and shopkeepers forced to pay gangs, president has vowed to tackle crime that now affects all parts of societyIt was about 11pm and Luis* was about to get into an Uber to go home when the police car pulled up. One of the officers produced two plastic bags with what looked like drugs: one contained some sort of powder, the other little crystals. Luis had never seen them before.Luis, who asked not to use his real name for fear of reprisals, insisted that the drugs weren’t his, but the officers didn’t seem to care. They shoved him into the back of the police truck and drove into the night. Continue reading...

While the technology is set to play a growing role in modern warfare, there remains an unresolved ethical challengeShould the AI-powered drones of the future have a licence to kill? The question is becoming ever more pressing as governments and the defence industry acknowledge that drone systems will play an increasingly crucial role in future warfare.With drones being deployed in huge numbers in the Ukraine war and AI being used to assist bombing missions in the Iran conflict, there is an expectation among some observers that weapons will have to operate with increased operational autonomy, which means they will need something approximating a moral framework. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research showing Andy Burnham holding slim lead finds honesty in politicians and immigration also rank as importantVoters in Makerfield rank the cost of living, declining high streets and public services as among the most important issues locally, with many also disillusioned by the political system and distrustful of politicians, according to new research.The findings come from a focus group, shared exclusively with the Guardian, which was commissioned by 38 Degrees and carried out by JL Partners. The fieldwork took place roughly two weeks ahead of the byelection on 18 June, when the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, is hoping to see off a challenge from Reform UK. Continue reading...

US president says he would ‘like to meet’ Mojtaba Khamenei, who US officials have previously said was injured in attacks, and says Iran has said it will not have a nuclear weaponHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Donald Trump has claimed Iran has agreed it will not have a nuclear weapon and that the country’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is involved in negotiations with the US.One person was killed and several people were injured in an Iranian drone attack that targeted Kuwait’s airport, according to authorities and state media. Flights were suspended this morning but some later resumed after the country’s civil aviation authority said it assessed the damage at the airport.The attack came hours after US forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable a tanker attempting to break through the American blockade of the strait of Hormuz, and later said they repelled Iranian reprisal attacks in the region and attacked sites on Iran’s Qeshm Island.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and drones in response to the strike on Qeshm, a claim the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) denied.Centcom said two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait “fell short or broke apart enroute”, and that three missiles targeting Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahrain.US forces also said they shot down three one-way attack drones “launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters” but gave no further details.Israel kept up strikes on southern Lebanon, pressing its campaign against Hezbollah a day after Donald Trump asked Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Beirut to avert further escalation in the three-month-old war. Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire hit south Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, Lebanese state media reported. Israel’s military ordered residents of the city of Nabatieh, a major Hezbollah stronghold, to leave ahead of strikes.Lebanon’s government has said it would seek a full ceasefire in a new round of talks with Israeli officials in Washington that began on Tuesday, the latest in a series of face-to-face meetings Beirut has attended despite Hezbollah objections.Hezbollah said it fired artillery shells at Israeli troops near Beaufort and targeted Israeli military vehicles south of Nabatieh on Tuesday. It has not announced cross-border attacks since Monday. Continue reading...

Home Office barred Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker on grounds their visit was ‘not conducive to the public good’Two leftwing US political commentators who were banned from entering the UK will still speak at the Oxford Union via livestream.The Home Office told Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker their presence in the country was “not conducive to the public good” when they attempted to come to London to attend this week’s SXSW London event. Continue reading...

Proposal for 10-12.5% levies, to also include EU, Taiwan, Canada and Australia, would allow US president to skirt court-imposed limitsDonald Trump has threatened tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 countries including the UK, EU and Australia over alleged forced labour failures, in the latest attempt to revive his signature trade policy.The EU immediately hit back, saying it expected the US to respect the tariff deal it entered into last July and arguing stealth tariffs breached the spirit of that agreement. Continue reading...

Clifton George convicted of fatally stabbing charity worker Annabel Rook after she tried to end relationshipA man who fatally stabbed his partner and then set off a gas explosion at their north-east London home last summer has been found guilty of her murder.Clifton George, 45, had denied murdering Annabel Rook, a 46-year-old charity founder, during an argument at their home in Stoke Newington, on 17 June 2025. He admitted her manslaughter. Continue reading...

Anthony Odiong was sentenced to life in prison for sex crimes against his congregants in TexasA Louisiana church where a Roman Catholic priest served as pastor before being recently convicted in Texas of criminal clergy sexual assault and sentenced to life in prison has been criticized by his victims and their supporters for soliciting prayers on his behalf in a parochial bulletin published after his guilty verdict – which neglected to mention the survivors.One of the two women whom Anthony Odiong was convicted of assaulting in Waco, Texas – identified in court proceedings as Mary Doe – issued a statement on Tuesday encouraging St Anthony of Padua’s community in the New Orleans suburb of Luling, Louisiana, to pray for his victims, too. Continue reading...

Democrats seek to oust Republicans in New Jersey and Iowa, while other major races remain up in the airHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.California’s crowded primary for governor remains up in the air after three leading candidates tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or promises of sweeping change.Karen Bass came out ahead in Tuesday’s heated primary for Los Angeles mayor, but with less than 50% of the vote will have to defend her seat in November’s general election. She’ll likely run against either Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, or city council member Nithya Raman.Iowa state representative Josh Turek won the Democratic nomination for the state’s open US Senate seat – setting him up to face off against Ashley Hinson in the November general election. A former television anchor turned state senator, Hinson was endorsed by Donald Trump and retiring senator Joni Ernst.Adam Hamawy won the Democratic nomination for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district, teeing the army doctor and political newcomer up to face off against Republican Gregg Mele in November’s general election. Hamawy decided to run for office after returning from a medical mission in Gaza in 2024 and meeting congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who announced her retirement in November 2025.Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for governor in New Mexico. If elected in the November general election, Haaland would become the first Native American woman governor elected in the country.Christina Bohannan won the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 1st congressional district. She will compete against incumbent Republican congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the November general electionZach Lahn narrowly won the Republican nomination for governor, and will face off against Democrat Rob Sand in Iowa’s general election this November. Five Republicans competed for the nomination to replace retiring Republican governor Kim Reynolds.Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Benett won the Democratic nomination for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, and will challenge Republican congressman Tom Kean Jr. in the general election. Kean, who’s been absent from Congress, citing a health issue, since March shared a statement on social media saying he’s “more energized than ever” and will “be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition” when he returns to work in “a matter of weeks”. Continue reading...