‘Spy turtles’ and ‘spy fish’ being used to monitor Chinese waters, Beijing claims

• The war in Ukraine has officially surpassed the duration of World War I, leading analysts to draw unsettling parallels between the two conflicts. • The comparison highlights a pattern where initial technological innovations in warfare fail to provide a lasting strategic advantage.

• The UN Peacebuilding Fund has approved $4.8 million for a new program targeting central Mali. • The initiative aims to strengthen local institutions and communities in regions severely impacted by violent extremism.

• President Donald Trump has implemented a new "action-based" strategy in the Middle East aimed at achieving tangible results through direct engagement and accountability. • The U.S. is supporting the Syrian government's efforts to counter terrorism, eliminate chemical weapons, stop drug trafficking, and secure humanitarian aid for its citizens.

Grande is the latest in a series of pop musicians including Sabrina Carpenter and SZA who have been angered by Trump administration videosAriana Grande has rebuked Donald Trump’s White House over use of her music in a video documenting the detaining of immigrants.Earlier this week, the White House posted a montage of ICE agents handcuffing and detaining people, with the caption “Bye-bye President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history”. It was soundtracked by Grande’s 2024 song Bye. Continue reading...

With matches in 16 cities across the US, Mexico and Canada, players and fans face an array of weather-related challengesWith the 2026 World Cup now under way, all 48 teams face a common opposition: summer weather across North America. Matches will be played in 16 cities, from southern Mexico to Canada, with a range of weather risks possible at each venue.Thunderstorms have already disrupted play before the tournament has even begun. England’s warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando was delayed by around an hour after storms brought lightning and heavy rain that waterlogged the pitch. Safety regulations at US venues mean play is suspended when lightening is recorded within roughly eight miles of a stadium, not resuming until 30 minutes after the last strike. Continue reading...

Former armed forces minister, who quit hours after John Healey, heavily hints he would run for Labour leadershipUK politics live – latest updatesAl Carns has delivered a withering assessment of the government’s defence plans after quitting as defence minister, accusing ministers of not spending enough money on the military and spending it on the wrong weapons.Carns quit the government on Thursday night, hours after the resignation of his boss, John Healey, after a protracted row over the defence investment plan (Dip). Continue reading...

Both John Healey and Al Cairns resigned from their ministerial positions on Thursday over the government’s defence investment planGood morning. This time yesterday Keir Starmer’s leadership was already in peril, with many in his party assuming that he will be replaced by Andy Burnham at some point later this year, but there was a consensus that, on defence and international security, his record was impressive. John Healey’s surprise resignation as defence secretary blew that apart. Later, after 8pm last night, Al Carns, the armed forces minister, also resigned over the defence investment plan.Here is our main story, by Pippa Crerar and Dan Sabbagh. Continue reading...

Gambling business, which also owns Betfair, to focus on New York in latest high-profile blow to UK stock marketBusiness live – latest updatesThe gambling group that owns Paddy Power and Betfair is to scrap its listing on the London Stock Exchange, in yet another blow for the UK’s shrinking stock market.Flutter Entertainment, the world’s largest online betting company, told investors that it will cancel its London shares on 3 August, blaming low levels of trading in the stock and high costs. Continue reading...

Location scans from the globally popular augmented reality game have helped train AI to recognise and interpret physical spacesAn AI model trained on data collected from users of Pokémon Go will potentially help military drones find their location in war zones.Pokémon Go, a 2016 augmented reality mobile game, allowed users to find and catch Pokémon in the real world using the cameras on their mobile phones, and exploded in popularity across the world. In 2018, the company reported having more than 800m downloads worldwide. Continue reading...

Former street seller celebrates newfound rights after debacle in claiming €500,000 scratchcard prize while undocumentedA Nigerian man who won €500,000 in an Italian lottery – but was barred from collecting his windfall because he was undocumented – said the hardship of his more than decade-long immigration journey had been eased after he was finally granted a residency permit.“I’ve been praying for this moment ever since I arrived in Italy,” said Imagbe Ehizomwengie, 36. “It’s a huge relief. You might think it’s incredible, but receiving the permit means more to me than winning the money. I want to work and contribute to society.” Continue reading...

US president says ‘great settlement’ reached but Iranian spokesman says there has been no final conclusionFull report: Trump claims US and Iran on verge of signing peace agreementHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Iran’s foreign ministry has contradicted claims from Donald Trump that a peace deal between Washington and Tehran could be signed as soon as this weekend.Trump said he was cancelling a third day of US airstrikes and bombings that he had earlier said would happen because “discussions” with Iran “have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”. He also said on social media: “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others.”Israel, however, said it was “not a party to” what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described as an emerging memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran. But the office said Netanyahu had spoken with Trump and that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations would include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region – measures that have been red lines for Iran in the past.The strait of Hormuz would open “as soon as we sign” the documents of the “great settlement” reached with Iran, Trump said. “The whole Middle East is happy.”Iranian media said the country’s forces had stopped a “violating tanker” from entering the strait of Hormuz. The report from the Fars news agency – closely linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – came shortly after the sound of explosions were reportedly heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas.Trump had earlier posted on social media that the US would seize Iran’s Kharg Island “in the not too distant future”, but later said the seizure would be off the table “if we sign this agreement”.The price of oil rose after Trump threatened a “very hard” attack on Iran, but plunged hours later after he said he was cancelling the strikes. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.9% to $86.08 a barrel, on top of a 2.6% drop overnight, and Brent dropped 1.5% to $89.08 a barrel, having fallen nearly 3% overnight. Asian stocks joined a global rally, with South Korea’s Kospi surging 7.4% and Japan’s Nikkei up 2.7%.A strike wounded 10 staff members of a hospital in the Lebanese city of Tyre on Thursday, the facility’s director told the AFP news agency, as Israeli raids continued in the country’s south. All three of the historic city’s hospitals have been hit since the start of the latest war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel in early March.India’s government voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...