The defence secretary quits with ‘blistering’ criticism of Starmer – podcast

• Tensions in the Middle East are escalating as warring parties resume hostilities and diplomatic relations deteriorate. • Iran remains defiant, demanding that the United States take accountability for ceasefire violations involving military strikes.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed a Security Council open debate in New York, urging member states to utilize the UN Charter to settle Middle East disputes peacefully. • Guterres highlighted how restrictions on navigational rights in the Strait of Hormuz are destabilizing global energy prices and disrupting critical supply chains.

• The UK, Australia, and Canada have launched a major new international fund designed to scale civil society initiatives and address the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. • The fund will invest in grassroots projects aimed at rebuilding trust and reducing community divisions, integrating civil society efforts directly into broader diplomatic strategies.

• India's Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon advocated for a rules-based order and strengthened diplomacy during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting held in Manila. • The ARF operates as a "track-one" diplomatic forum, focusing on a gradual evolutionary process to move from confidence-building measures toward full conflict resolution.

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk announced that investigators will probe potential breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law by all parties involved in the Lebanon conflict. • The escalation, featuring Hezbollah attacks and an extensive Israeli air and ground campaign, has resulted in over 3,660 deaths and the displacement of more than one million people.

Washington claims their vessel was violating its blockade of Iranian ports and failed to comply with instructionsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Indian government has voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz.US Central Command confirmed that its aircraft had fired two Hellfire missiles at the engine room of the MT Settebello as it sailed through the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Suit filed in US alleges chatbot told Alice Carrier, 24, ‘maybe this is just the end’ as she struggled with suicidal thoughtsA Canadian mother sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in US court on Thursday, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to commit suicide. The lawsuit is the latest in a slew accusing the company of failing to address dangerous conversations between users and the company’s chatbot.Kristie Carrier said in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco state court that her daughter, Alice, told ChatGPT about her suicidal ideations more than a dozen times leading up to her death but that OpenAI’s safety systems never flagged the conversations for human review or terminated them. Continue reading...

Largest comeback in NBA finals history galvanizes city and inspires morning-after chants of: ‘Knicks in five!’New Yorkers woke up on Thursday morning – those who had even slept in the city that never sleeps – still jubilant after the Knicks men’s basketball team had made history the night before.The team staged the largest comeback in NBA finals history to overcome the San Antonio Spurs in the dying seconds of the fourth game of the finals – and put themselves 3-1 up and within one game of a rare championship win. Continue reading...

Hundreds of Labour activists and MPs have ‘made the pilgrimage’ to the seat, where they are pounding the streetsFor a few short weeks, the centre of political gravity in Britain has shifted from the Palace of Westminster to the bar of a former Labour club in Wigan.In London, even as Keir Starmer insists he will fight to stay in No 10, the walls seem to be crumbling around him, especially with Thursday’s resignation of the defence secretary, John Healey. Continue reading...

There is no narrative to convince the British public that difficult economic decisions on defence will be worth itUK politics live – latest updatesAs Labour MPs set out the case for change in the tea rooms and bars of Westminster, there is usually one caveat. They believed the prime minister was an asset when it came to national security and had performed beyond expectations on the world stage.Now that reputation too lies in tatters, after the resignation of John Healey with one of the most quietly damning letters that many can remember. Not a departure over ambition – though Healey certainly has it – but on principle. It is a rare thing to see a loyalist cabinet minister accuse the prime minister and a chancellor of making the country “less safe”. Continue reading...

Former DUP leader also rejects suggestion wife knew about or witnessed abuse, saying ‘there was nothing to know’Jeffrey Donaldson is “crystal clear” that an allegation he raped a girl several years ago is “simply not true”, the former Democratic Unionist party leader has told a court.Giving evidence in the third week of his trial on sexual abuse charges, the ex-MP said an allegation that he had touched the same girl’s breasts was “just unbelievable”. Continue reading...

Responding to an incident in which she was verbally abused, the actor said that that ‘evil forces are rising everywhere’, as well as expressing support for MobLand co-star Tom HardyHelen Mirren has commented on being called an “evil Zionist bitch” while being harassed in the street in London, saying she was “attacked by mistake by a man who was maybe a little over passionate or maybe mentally not quite stable”.Footage circulated last month of an incident, believed to have taken place last year, while Mirren was walking with her husband, film-maker Taylor Hackford. They were approached and filmed by an unidentified person, who commented on Mirren’s support of Israel and then launched a volley of abuse at her. Continue reading...