Vladimir Putin to arrive in Beijing for state visit hot on heels of Trump

• 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.

Relatives of those killed on flight AI171 are still struggling to obtain answers about what happenedWhen Sagar Patel’s mother boarded Air India flight AI171 on 12 June last year, she called her son as she always did before takeoff. The flight was due to leave Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and was destined for Gatwick.“We always had a little traditional thing,” said Patel, a business manager from London. “Once she got on the flight, she would sit down and call me. She’d tell me: ‘Yep, I’m on the flight. See you later.’” Continue reading...

People tell of feeling alienated in own city, disruption to daily life including healthcare, and frustration with politiciansBelfast residents have reacted with anger and disgust at the disorder in the city in response to a an online callout by the Guardian.People were asked if they had been affected by the unrest sparked by the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie in the city earlier in the week. Continue reading...

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...

Ministry says on WeChat that animals fitted with sensors by foreign agencies are ‘collecting sensitive marine data’China’s ministry of state security has claimed that foreign espionage and intelligence agencies are using innovative new methods to monitor the country’s waters, including deploying “spy” animals fitted with sensors.In a post on the Chinese platform WeChat on Friday, the ministry warned that an “invisible secret war” was quietly playing out in the seas around China as foreign agencies were collecting sensitive data “through a variety of new spying devices” to produce underwater maps that pose a “serious threat to our national security”. 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...