The Guardian

Spain’s former PM faces tax fraud inquiry as police find €1.3m of jewellery

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, already under investigation for alleged influence-peddling, facing questions over items found in office safeThe former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is being investigated for possible tax fraud and smuggling after police discovered jewellery valued at more than €1.3m (£1.1m) while searching his office safe as part of a separate inquiry.Zapatero, who led two socialist governments between 2004 and 2011, is already under investigation for alleged

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The Guardian

Healey showdown raises fresh questions over Starmer-Reeves power dynamic

Former defence secretary’s accusation, that PM lacks impetus and is easily swayed by chancellor’s demands, is familiar territoryOne of the most scathing accusations made by John Healey in his resignation letter on Thursday was that the prime minister lacks the authority to stand up to his chancellor.“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” the former defence secretary wrote. Co

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The Guardian

‘I only had this father, and he’s gone’: Wafa Mustafa’s fight for truth and justice for Syria’s missing

With more than 177,000 people forcibly disappeared since 2011, short doc Maybe Tomorrow captures ‘the violence of waiting’ experienced by familyWhen Wafa Mustafa was a child, she remembers her father playing the music of Umm Kulthum non-stop at home in Syria, humming along to the legendary Egyptian singer’s melodic tones. One day, in an effort to encourage his daughter to appreciate music, he asked her to take a pen and paper and write the lyrics of a song she loved. Wanting to impress him, Must

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BBC World

Tributes paid to David Hockney, a 'giant' and 'true icon' of British art

Hockney, one of the UK's most important and influential artists, has died at the age of 88.

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The Guardian

France accuses Israeli firm of interfering in Scottish elections and targeting SNP

Cyber agency says BlackCore targeted John Swinney, as well as interfering in France, New York and elsewhereFrance’s cyber-security agency has accused an Israeli firm called BlackCore of interfering in the Scottish elections earlier this year by targeting the first minister, John Swinney.The disinformation detection agency Viginum said BlackCore had used proxy social media accounts to target Swinney, the Scottish National party and the Scottish government on four occasions this year. Continue rea

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BBC World

Investigation into cause of Air India crash ongoing, officials say

The statement said "significant progress" had been made into crash which left 260 people dead a year ago.

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Washington Post World

China and Myanmar detain U.S. citizens in separate incidents, causing alarm

The two U.S. citizens detained in China and Myanmar were well-known commentators.

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The Guardian

‘I’m not going away,’ says Keir Starmer despite defence secretary’s exit

PM promises to fight any leadership challenge, saying any successor would face same problems as himUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has said he knows he has to “turn things around” after a series of crises culminating in the resignation of John Healey, the defence secretary, but warned that any successor would face the same set of difficult decisions.In an interview with the BBC after Healey’s departure in a row over defence spending, Starmer promised again to fight any leadership c

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NY Times World

Japan Pushes Back on Trump’s Anime Posts

The use of anime imagery online by President Trump and his administration has strained diplomatic ties with Japan and drawn criticism from creators and fans.

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NY Times World

JR Conjures a Mountainous Illusion Out of the Pont Neuf in Paris

Four decades after the conceptual artist Christo draped the Pont Neuf with fabric, JR, a French street artist, offers his own trick of the eye.

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The Guardian

Fire at California warehouse complex prompts evacuations as authorities fight blaze

No injuries reported as fire in Tracy destroys medical equipment warehouse and authorities investigate causeA fire at a 1m sq ft warehouse complex was burning out of control in California early Friday as authorities fought to tamp the large blaze and began investigating the cause.The raging inferno was pumping thick black smoke up in billowing clouds as flame and a red hot glow were visible beneath from aerial images. The fire has destroyed the medical equipment warehouse in Tracy, in northern C

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The Guardian

Iran to become first World Cup team to play in country with which it is at war

Belligerent backdrop to tournament tests Fifa’s ‘football unites the world’ sloganIran will present a major challenge to Fifa’s “football unites the world” slogan on Monday by becoming the first country in World Cup history to compete on the soil of a host nation with which it is at war.The national team’s opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles will kick off amid continuing hostilities between Iran and the US that have intensified in recent days, as a fragile ceasefire has failed to ho

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The Guardian

‘Where can we find hope?’: your questions about the US supreme court’s voting rights decision answered

Guardian reporters Fabiola Cineas and Adria Walker held a Reddit Q&A about Louisiana v Callais – here’s a rundownIn April, the supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais struck a massive blow to the Voting Rights Act, eliminating a key provision that gave minority voters representation in Congress.Within days of the decision, Republican-led states in the south moved to redraw congressional maps to erase majority-Black districts. Some of those maps have already gone into effect ahead of

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The Guardian

Reeves grudgingly resorts to departmental salami slicing to fund UK defence budget

Starmer shows no will to pursue the main options for rising commitments: spending cuts, tax rises or borrowingWhen Keir Starmer wanted to promise Donald Trump that the UK would increase defence spending, he decided to fund it by slashing the UK’s aid budget – losing a cabinet minister, Anneliese Dodds, in the process.This time around, with John Healey’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) demanding an additional £18.5bn over four years to fund the defence investment plan, there was no such lever to hand.

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Washington Post World

Defending migrants, Pope Leo calls for ‘legal’ paths, a nod to fraught politics

As he finished a seven-day visit, Pope Leo articulated a fuller position on migration, including the “right” of nations to protect their borders, that his critics often ignore.

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NY Times World

Anti-Immigrant Riots Leave Belfast on Edge: ‘Everyone Is Afraid’

In two nights of violence in Northern Ireland after a brutal stabbing, people were targeted because of their skin color, the authorities said.

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WSJ World News

World’s Food Supply Imperiled by Iran War, Fertilizer Manufacturer Fertiglobe Chief Says

Failure to get fertilizer supplies moving through the Persian Gulf risks worsening food shortages and triggering higher grain prices that could take time to come down.

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The Guardian

Women held at much-denounced Ice detention camp sign on to hunger strike

Nearly 40 women detained at Delaney Hall join striking men and outline demands ‘rooted in basic human rights’ Dozens of women detained inside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey announced their participation in a hunger and labor strike, advocates announced on Thursday.The women, detained in unit 1 of the contentious privately run facility, also released a new list of demands. They are calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release women under 21, women

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The Guardian

Palestinian football chief says US denied him visa to attend World Cup

Jibril Rajoub attended opening match in Mexico but becomes latest football official hit by US visa issues, he saysThe head of the Palestinian Football Association has said he is unable to travel to the United States with other federation heads attending the 2026 Fifa World Cup because he has not been issued a visa.Jibril Rajoub went to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday. But he is among several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been deni

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The Guardian

US-Iran peace deal remains elusive as choice of US targets draws legal questions | First Thing

Trump claims strikes called off as deal is close, but Tehran denies agreement near, while legal experts question if US targets may be a war crime. Plus 20 years of Taylor Swift’s incredible influence on pop cultureGood morning. Yesterday, Donald Trump spent the day promising he was going to hit Iran harder than ever before, then announced – again – that the US and Iran were close to signing a deal. Iran’s foreign ministry dismissed the claim, and Tasnim, the semi-official Iranian news agency, wr

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