Top World News
Wednesday briefing: Why Nato is rolling out the red carpet for Donald Trump at key summit
In today’s newsletter: Europe’s leaders unveiled sweeping new defence spending pledges designed to satisfy Donald Trump and signal a new era of militarisationGood morning. The Nato summit that started last night in the Netherlands could hardly be better timed for Donald Trump: after declaring himself the saviour of world peace as Iran and Israel agreed a tentative ceasefire, he now intends to take a victory lap in Europe. European leaders, for their part, will be desperate for him to feel like he is getting his due.That is part of why member states signed up to a new defence spending commitment that Trump has long demanded – and part of why the UK is buying a squadron of US-made fighter jets to carry nuclear warheads. But as well as anxieties about the US’s reliability, all of that also reflects Europe’s recognition that it faces a serious new threat to the east.Iran | A classified assessment of US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities says they did not destroy two of the sites and likely only set back the nuclear program by a few months, according to two people familiar with the report. Donald Trump had claimed that they had “totally obliterated” the facilities.Welfare | Keir Starmer has said the government will not shift on its welfare plans as ministers and party whips struggled to contain a growing Labour rebellion before next week’s vote. By Tuesday night the tally of rebels stood at 123 Labour MPs.New York | Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist, stunned former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, a remarkable upset that sets him on course for the city’s mayoralty. The result will be viewed as a rebuke to the Democratic establishment, with wealthy donors and establishment figures like Bill Clinton supporting Cuomo.Climate | The UK can reach its net zero targets for 2050, and its interim carbon budgets for 2030 and beyond, the government’s statutory climate advisers have reported. The Climate Change Committee also found that net zero would not destroy the UK economy, instead providing long term benefits.Health | Tobacco killed more than 7 million people worldwide in 2023. It remains the leading risk factor for deaths in men and ranks seventh for women, according to analysis presented at the World Conference on Tobacco Control. Continue reading...
Australia news live: ABC boss says broadcaster’s social media guidelines being replaced after Lattouf ruling
Follow the day’s news liveFederal court rules ABC unlawfully terminated Antoinette Lattouf after ‘orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMinister says Australians could soon have more ‘regular ways’ to get out of IsraelMatt Keogh, the minister for defence personnel, said Australians will soon have “more regular ways” to get out of Israel after the country reopened its airspace during a tenuous ceasefire deal with Iran. Keogh said the government was actively monitoring the situation, noting 119 Australians were able to leave on a special Australian Defence Force flight from Tel Aviv late Tuesday night.Australians that are still looking to leave will be able to find more regular ways of getting out. And as the ceasefire has taken hold and continues that should see a return to more ordinary transport operations.We’ll obviously keep monitoring the situation to make sure that we’re actually seeing that return to regular transport options, but that’s what we are starting to see progress. And so, if military repatriations aren’t required any more, then we would obviously bring that to an end. But we’re not yet at a stage where we’d be able to do that.The Agreement comprises a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren’t connected to each other or to an overarching strategy. In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, coordinated change it promises.The consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of uncoordinated services that do not respond to need. Continue reading...
Sussan Ley says she’s a ‘zealot’ on recruiting more women to Liberal party – but stops short of endorsing quotas
First female opposition leader says she will personally try to recruit more women but is agnostic about party’s approachAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSussan Ley has declared herself a “zealot” on action to recruit more women to the Liberal ranks, but stopped short of endorsing quotas or other formal mechanisms to boost gender equity ahead of the next election.Promising a second review on the future of the party in the wake of its 3 May drubbing by Labor, the opposition leader told the National Press Club development of a new energy and emissions policy, and reconsideration of net zero by 2050 commitments, would be led by a working group chaired by frontbencher Dan Tehan. Continue reading...
Israel-Iran live news: Trump insists nuclear sites ‘destroyed’ after intelligence suggests program could restart in months
Report says program likely set back only a few months; Iran and Israel both say they will honour truce if other side does after US president expresses frustration at violationsSee all our Middle East coverageAt the Nato summit in the Netherlands, tensions between Israel and Iran could dominate discussions among world leaders amid the fragile ceasefire.Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, is among those in The Hague for the gathering, having called on Middle Eastern nations to maintain the pause in hostilities.Look, I think what we’ve seen over the last few days is the Americans alleviating a threat to nuclear weaponry by the Iranians and bringing about a ceasefire in the early hours of today.I think now what needs to happen is that ceasefire needs to be maintained, and that will be the focus of our attention, our engagement, our discussions, because that ceasefire provides the space for the negotiations that need to take place. Continue reading...
Tory peer Liam Booth-Smith takes job at AI firm he encountered at No 10
Rishi Sunak’s ex-chief of staff lands role at Anthropic, which has memorandum of understanding on working with governmentA former chief of staff to Rishi Sunak who was made a Conservative peer has taken a job as “external affairs” chief at an artificial intelligence company that he encountered while working at No 10.Liam Booth-Smith, who entered the House of Lords last year, has joined Anthropic, which recently signed a memorandum of understanding about working with the government on AI. Continue reading...
Government did not want to ‘harass’ Post Office victims by chasing up claims
At least £600,000 relating to Horizon IT scandal remains unclaimed, with officials reluctant to recontact victimsPost office operators yet to claim compensation of at least £600,000 relating to the Horizon IT scandal have not been chased up by officials because the government did not want to “harass” them with letters, it has emerged.In a report criticising the speed and handling of payouts after the Post Office scandal, the House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) said the government is taking “insufficient action” identifying all the operators eligible to claim some of the £1.7bn being paid out across four compensation schemes. Continue reading...
Judge blocks Trump from withholding EV charger funds awarded to 14 states
Trump officials had ordered states not to spend $5bn given by Biden under national EV infrastructure schemeA US district judge has blocked the Trump administration from withholding funds previously awarded to 14 states for electric vehicle charger infrastructure.Seattle-based judge Tana Lin, who was appointed to the bench by Joe Biden in 2021, granted a partial injunction to the states that filed suit against Trump’s Department of Transportation. Continue reading...
Teenager from Hull becomes second Briton ever to join a professional sumo stable
Sumo wrestler Nicholas Tarasenko, 15, gets rare chance to break into professional ranks after winning amateur tournaments and learning JapaneseA teenager from Hull has arrived in Japan to pursue his dream of becoming a grand champion sumo wrestler, as only the second Briton to win a place at one of the ancient sport’s professional stables.Nicholas Tarasenko, 15, left Yorkshire for Japan straight after finishing his GCSEs, to become the first British hopeful to join a stable since Nathan Strange – a Londoner who fought under the ring name Hidenokuni – in 1989. Continue reading...
Fears of unrest as Kenyans mark first anniversary of storming of parliament
Rights activists plan to march countrywide in honour of those killed during anti-government protestsKenyans plan to march countrywide on Wednesday, the first anniversary of the historic storming of parliament by protesters, to honour those killed during last year’s anti-government protests, but there are fears that the march could escalate into unrest.Rights activists, family members of killed and missing protesters, and young Kenyans, who were the main drivers of last year’s protests, have mobilised online and offline, with opposition leaders terming the day a “people’s public holiday” and the government warning against attempts to disrupt public order. Continue reading...
CDC vaccine report cites study that does not exist, says scientist listed as author
Robert Berman, cited in report on preservative thimerosal, says he ‘doesn’t endorse this misrepresentation of research’A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines slated to be presented on Thursday to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) outside vaccine committee cites a study that does not exist, the scientist listed as the study’s author said.The report, called Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative published on the CDC website on Tuesday, is to be presented by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense. Continue reading...
Man convicted in 1994 rape and murder of Michelle McGrath put to death in Florida
Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, died Tuesday by lethal injection at Florida state prison in state’s seventh execution this yearA man convicted of raping and killing a woman near a central Florida bar was executed Tuesday evening.Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, was pronounced dead at 6.13pm after receiving a lethal injection at Florida state prison near Starke, said Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for the governor, Ron DeSantis. Continue reading...
POWs, abductees, defectors and separated families are the legacy of the Korean War
North and South Korea have been separated by a heavily fortified border since the Korean War that began 75 years ago Wednesday
Jun 25, 2025