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Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voice
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The pope’s African tour shows the continent is vital to the future of Catholicism
Published: April 29, 2026 11:44
Amid the US far right’s hijacking of Christianity and his very public row with Trump, Pope Leo XIV’s visit is symbolic of the ‘growing centrality of Africa and its Black diaspora’• Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAlmost a year…
King Charles ‘agrees with me’ on Iran nuclear weapon ban, says Trump
Published: April 29, 2026 07:48
Remarks by US president likely to cause embarrassment for aides of UK monarch, who usually remains neutralUK politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has said King Charles agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons.Trump made the…
Calls for humanitarian corridor through strait of Hormuz as Iran war hits vital aid
Published: April 29, 2026 07:00
Soaring oil prices and the blockade are preventing food, fuel and medicine being delivered to millions of people in desperate need, say NGOsThe volatility of global oil prices caused by the US and Israel’s war on Iran is taking a toll on the most…
Marxists and monarchists: the group hoping to unite Iran’s exiled opposition
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/29/iran-freedom-congress-exiled-opposition
Published: April 29, 2026 04:00
Iran Freedom Congress, which has met in London, aims to be a ‘pluralist movement’ supporting those inside country“It’s an exercise that is necessary and frankly has been missing for the past 47 years,” said Mehrdad Marty Youssefiani, a founding member of a…
How the UAE’s decision to leave Opec could recast the Middle East
Published: April 28, 2026 18:58
Defection is damaging to Saudi Arabia’s prestige – and could strengthen the US hand in the regionThe United Arab Emirates’ decision to walk out of Opec is a political as much as business decision, and will reignite the simmering rows between the UAE and…
Hezbollah drone strikes target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon
Published: April 28, 2026 16:20
Ceasefire frays further as Israel also carries out airstrikes and issues new displacement orders for south Lebanon Hezbollah launched several drones at Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon on Tuesday, while Israel issued new displacement orders for south…
Fears of resurgence in Somali piracy after three vessels hijacked in a week
Published: April 28, 2026 16:20
Pirates appear to be taking advantage of international naval strength being diverted to Middle EastThree vessels have been hijacked off the coast of Somalia in the past week, raising fears of a resurgence in piracy around the Horn of Africa, and adding to…
Lebanese citizens with Australian partners being denied visitor visas amid concerns over unofficial ‘blacklists’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/28/lebanese-citizens-denied-visas-australia
Published: April 28, 2026 15:00
Rejection letters for those applying to enter Australia while they wait for their partner visas read like ‘cut-and-paste’ refusals, migration agents sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEvery night Maram cries for her father.…
Russian oligarch’s superyacht allowed through strait of Hormuz, source says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/28/alexei-mordashov-russian-superyacht-strait-of-hormuz
Published: April 28, 2026 14:30
Billionaire Alexei Mordashov’s vessel, Nord, reportedly able to cross blockaded strait with US and Iranian approvalA superyacht owned by the Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov was able to transit the blockaded strait of Hormuz after undergoing…
UAE quits Opec in win for Trump as oil cartel weakened
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/28/uae-quit-opec-oil-exporters-cartel-donald-trump
Published: April 28, 2026 13:37
US president has accused organisation of ‘ripping off the rest of the world’ by inflating oil pricesBusiness live – latest updatesThe United Arab Emirates has quit the Opec oil cartel in a heavy blow to the group and its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, amid…
Middle East crisis could cost world $1tn while oil firms make ‘obscene’ profit, analysis finds
Published: April 28, 2026 11:00
Climate group calls for urgent windfall tax on excess fossil fuel profits, as delegates tell Colombia conference their nations are sufferingThe Middle East oil and gas crunch will impose as much as a trillion dollars of additional costs on the global…
What is the latest Palestine Action court case – and what is at stake?
Published: April 28, 2026 08:00
Government appeal against high court ruling could have implications for right to protest and lead to other groups being proscribedThe home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, will have her appeal against the high court ruling that the ban on Palestine Action was…
‘If your wife asks you to change diapers, change your wife’: Lebanon’s hit show parodying the patriarchy
Published: April 28, 2026 08:00
The female-created YouTube sketch series Smatouha Minni (You Heard It From Me) uses satire to confront misogynistic attitudes In Beirut’s Gemmayzeh neighbourhood a rented flat has been transformed into a film set: bright studio lights in a cosy living…
Middle East crisis live: Iran says it needs guarantees against attacks before Gulf can be stable
Published: April 28, 2026 08:00
Tehran’s UN envoy says ‘full respect’ of Iran’s rights also key for lasting regional stabilityUS is being ‘humiliated’ by Iran’s leadership, says Friedrich MerzAl Jazeera is reporting that Israeli forces are shelling areas of southern Lebanon despite the…
Lebanon accuses Israel of committing ‘ecocide’ in country since 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/28/lebanon-accuses-israel-ecocide
Published: April 28, 2026 06:00
Claim by environment minister opens new report into profound ecological damage allegedly done by IDF forces Lebanon’s minister for the environment has accused Israel’s military of committing “an act of ecocide” in the foreword to a report detailing the…
Israel’s direction poses ‘existential threat’ to Judaism, UK’s leading progressive rabbis warn
Published: April 28, 2026 04:00
Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy say criticising Israeli government is not disloyalty but a Jewish obligationThe UK’s most senior progressive rabbis have warned that Israel’s current political direction risks becoming “incompatible with Jewish…
Sudan paramilitary leaders acquired £17.7m property portfolio in Dubai, investigation reveals
Published: April 28, 2026 04:00
The RSF leadership, accused of committing genocide, used UAE as a ‘safe haven’ for family members and their wealth, records showA network linked to the leadership of a militia accused of genocide has amassed a vast property portfolio in Dubai as part of a…
German tourist dies after being bitten at snake show on family holiday in Egypt
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/27/german-tourist-dies-bite-snake-show-holiday-egypt
Published: April 27, 2026 17:26
Man, 57, was watching snake-charming show when reptile crawled into his trousers, say German policeA German tourist has died after a snake crawled into his trousers and bit him as he watched a show in Egypt on a family holiday, police in Germany have…
Why is the US media silent about Israel’s role in Trump’s decision to go to war? | Jason Stanley
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/27/trump-israel-trump-war
Published: April 27, 2026 10:00
I suspect the main reason they avoid criticizing Israel is that they believe that would be antisemitic. But this is both dangerous and wrongIn an extraordinary article published on 7 April, the New York Times described how Donald Trump decided to go to war…
Middle East crisis live: Iran ‘offers to end chokehold on strait of Hormuz’
Published: April 27, 2026 10:00
Sources say country wants US to end its blockade as part of proposal but has not addressed its nuclear programmeIran is offering to end its chokehold on the strait of Hormuz without addressing its nuclear program, two regional officials with knowledge of…
‘Israel must change direction’: Netanyahu rivals join forces for next election
Published: April 27, 2026 07:35
Rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid announce new party before Knesset vote expected later this yearTwo of Benjamin Netanyahu’s most formidable political rivals say they are joining forces in an attempt to oust the Israeli prime minister’s…
‘I should not have wished for war’: six ordinary Iranians on how the US-Israel conflict has changed them
Published: April 27, 2026 07:00
In Tehran, the Guardian spoke to people about how war is transforming their feelings toward the regime and their country’s futureBehzad has a master’s degree in the humanities and lives with his partner in a rented flat in central Tehran. He says he didn’t…
Pro-Palestine activists face trial for attack on Israeli arms factory in Germany
Published: April 27, 2026 04:00
Families say ‘Ulm 5’ have been detained under extreme prison conditions since arrest last SeptemberFive pro-Palestinian activists are due to appear in court over an attack on an Israeli arms company in Germany, in proceedings their families say could…
Deadly Israeli attacks worsen Gaza’s water shortage crisis
Published: April 27, 2026 04:00
Engineer and two drivers killed in recent weeks as scarcity of clean water fuels spread of preventable diseasesIsraeli forces in Gaza killed a water engineer and two drivers who transported water to displaced families over four days in mid-April,…
Lebanon health ministry says Israeli strikes kill 14 in deadliest day since ceasefire began
Published: April 27, 2026 00:26
The Israeli government and Hezbollah have traded blame over breaches to the truce, which is set to run for several more weeksLebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country’s south killed 14 people on Sunday, the deadliest day since a…
No headway in Middle East peace efforts as US and Iran refuse to yield
Published: April 26, 2026 17:50
Deepening sense of deadlock despite regional diplomacy as Washington and Tehran show no signs of compromiseHopes of a breakthrough in negotiations between Iran and the US faded further on Sunday, amid a deepening sense of deadlock in the nearly…
Pete Hegseth’s Iran war messaging echoes sermons from his extremist church
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/26/pete-hegseth-iran-war-christian-extremism
Published: April 26, 2026 12:00
US defense secretary’s openly Christian nationalist church continues to have growing influence in the White HouseOn 17 April, at a briefing on the Iran war, secretary of defense Pete Hegseth told reporters he had been “sitting in church with my family” the…
Iran didn’t have a nuclear weapon before this war. But you can see why it would want one now | Simon Tisdall
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/26/iran-nuclear-weapon-war-develop-one-now
Published: April 26, 2026 10:30
If lawless aggression by ‘might is right’ nuclear-armed powers spreads unchecked, what other option do middle-ranking countries have?With every bomb dropped, ship seized and blood-curdling threat of annihilation, Donald Trump increases Iran’s incentive to…
Trump cancels his envoys’ Pakistan trip for Iran ceasefire negotiations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/25/trump-cancels-envoys-pakistan-trip-iran-talks
Published: April 25, 2026 17:02
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were to travel to Islamabad to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiationsDonald Trump said he has told US envoys not to go to Pakistan for more talks with Iran, shortly after Tehran’s top diplomat left Islamabad late on…
Middle East crisis live: Witkoff and Kushner head to Pakistan for talks; Israel strikes Lebanon despite ceasefire
Published: April 25, 2026 08:14
Iranian foreign minister has landed in Islamabad but his ministry says there will be no direct negotiations with the US envoyIran said it has hanged what it described as an agent working for Israel who was accused of vandalism and violence during…
Hanged under the cover of war: letters and videos tell stories of Iran’s death row victims
Published: April 25, 2026 05:00
Testimony emerges from Babak Alipour, who spent three years on death row before being taken to gallows in March Writing from his cell in the Rajai Shahr prison in the northern Iranian city of Karaj, Babak Alipour wanted to tell his friends about those who…
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy holds talks in Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia on ‘security and energy’
Published: April 25, 2026 01:02
Ukraine ‘actively developing’ regional security arrangements for defence, food and energy, Zelenskyy says; Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners. What we know on day 1,522Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Azerbaijan on Friday for talks on…
The week around the world in 20 pictures
Published: April 24, 2026 17:59
Crisis in the Middle East, Russian strikes in Dnipro, blackouts in Karachi and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Germany, Japan and the end of the postwar order: as US alliances crumble, a new world emerges | Editorial
Published: April 24, 2026 16:48
Developments in Berlin and Tokyo show how far the strategic environment has shifted in response to authoritarian threat and American unpredictabilityWhen Donald Trump hosted Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese prime minister, last month, he could not resist a…
Iran foreign minister to embark on three-nation tour as US peace talks remain stalled
Published: April 24, 2026 16:48
Abbas Araghchi to visit Pakistan, Oman and Russia to see if talks can be reopened, with both sides still in stalemateMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is planning a tour of Pakistan, Russia and Oman in an effort…
Could Trump withdraw US support for UK sovereignty of Falklands?
Published: April 24, 2026 16:16
Proposal is said to be contained in an internal Pentagon emailThe White House is considering punishing European countries who have failed to assist Donald Trump wage his war in Iran, according to an official within the Pentagon. Keir Starmer, once…
Netanyahu says he was successfully treated for prostate cancer
Published: April 24, 2026 13:40
Israeli prime minister says early-stage malignant tumour was discovered during a routine check-upMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has revealed that he received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, without specifying when…
Greta Thunberg, Sally Rooney and Brian Eno defy Palestine Action ban in letter to judges
Published: April 24, 2026 12:12
Exclusive: Scholars, writers and artists risk arrest with message of support for proscribed group before next week’s appeal hearingUK politics live – latest updatesSally Rooney, Greta Thunberg and Brian Eno have written to the court of appeal in support of…
Venice Biennale jury will not ‘award artists whose countries face war crimes charges’
Published: April 24, 2026 11:33
Jury’s statement, apparently aimed at Russia and Israel, makes clear it is committed to the defence of human rightsThe jury of the Venice Biennale has said it would not give awards to artists from countries whose leaders are facing charges of crimes…
Pope Leo condemns the killing of protesters in Iran – video
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/apr/24/pope-leo-condemns-protester-killing-iran-video
Published: April 24, 2026 11:15
Pope Leo XIV has condemned the killing of protesters in Iran, after the US president, Donald Trump, criticised the Catholic leader last week for not doing so. The pontiff, during a press conference after his Africa trip, also urged the US and Iran to…
The Gaza model: is this what war looks like now? | Mohamad Bazzi
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/24/gaza-israel-lebanon-war
Published: April 24, 2026 11:00
Before the war on Gaza, the seed of Israel’s strategy of wholesale destruction was planted in a 2006 war on Lebanon. Today, the playbook repeats itselfShortly after 2pm on 8 April, it seemed that Beirut was hit by an earthquake. Within 10 minutes, multiple…
Syria arrests suspected leader of Tadamon massacre
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/syria-arrests-suspected-leader-of-tadamon-massacre
Published: April 24, 2026 09:53
Amjad Youssef one of most-wanted fugitives in relation to slaughter of almost 290 civilians under AssadA Syrian former regime official suspected of leading a notorious civilian massacre revealed by the Guardian – and who became one of the country’s…
Middle East crisis live: Trump orders US to ‘shoot and kill’ boats laying mines in Hormuz strait; Israel-Lebanon truce extended
Published: April 24, 2026 04:42
US president claims ‘total control’ of strait of Hormuz despite Iranian seizure of two ships and report warning it could take months to clear waterway of minesTrump claims US has total control over strait of Hormuz after Iran seizes two container…
Trump may talk of regime infighting, but Iran seems united by strategy born of war
Published: April 23, 2026 19:18
Tensions around US negotiations may reflect mistake of assassinating more pragmatic and experienced figuresMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has claimed that the infighting between moderates and hardliners in Iran’s leadership is so intense…
Extended naval blockade is admission US military escalation poses even greater risk
Published: April 23, 2026 18:15
Battle of the blockades may still have more time to run as the US and Iran try to assert control over the strait of HormuzDonald Trump’s decision to extend the naval blockade of Iran indefinitely may do nothing to reduce world oil prices – but it could…
UK prepared to deploy RAF Typhoons to keep strait of Hormuz open after Iran war
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/23/uk-raf-typhoons-strait-of-hormuz-iran-war
Published: April 23, 2026 18:08
Proposal at heart of offer made during a 30-country two-day meeting jointly organised by FranceMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain is prepared to deploy a squadron of RAF Typhoons based in Qatar to patrol over the strait of Hormuz as part of a…
Trump claims US has total control over strait of Hormuz after Iran seizes two container ships
Published: April 23, 2026 17:26
US president says Tehran hobbled by infighting as Pentagon reportedly briefs mine clearance may take six monthsMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has again said that the US has “total control over the strait of Hormuz”, adding that Iran’s…
Journalist detained in Kuwait acquitted of ‘spreading false information’, says press monitor
Published: April 23, 2026 16:53
Committee to Protect Journalists says Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was found innocent after 52 days in detentionMiddle East crisis – live updatesA Kuwaiti-American journalist, who had been detained in Kuwait, has been acquitted, according to the Committee to Protect…
Lockheed Martin CEO sees Trump’s Pentagon as ‘golden opportunity’ for growth
Published: April 23, 2026 16:38
Jim Taiclet spoke in earnings call as company expands contracts with the US government amid the Iran warLockheed Martin’s CEO has called the Trump administration a “golden opportunity” for the company as it expands its contracting work for the federal…
Trump’s war has backfired spectacularly: Iran is now more influential than ever | Fawaz Gerges
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/23/donald-trump-iran-war-tehran-strait-hormuz
Published: April 23, 2026 14:44
Tehran has shown that its grip over the strait of Hormuz is its most potent deterrent – arguably more consequential than its now defunct nuclear programmeFawaz Gerges is professor of international relations at the London School of EconomicsDonald Trump’s…
Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli attack had spoken of death threat
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/23/lebanon-journalist-amal-khalil-israel-death-threat
Published: April 23, 2026 13:22
Media rights groups condemn killing of Amal Khalil, who said in 2024 she had been threatened by ‘an Israeli enemy’Middle East crisis – live updatesThe Lebanese journalist killed in an Israeli attack on Wednesday had previously complained of receiving a…
Footage purportedly shows Iranian forces seize two vessels in the strait of Hormuz - video
Published: April 23, 2026 10:39
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released footage purportedly showing its forces seizing two vessels in the strait of Hormuz and escorting them to Iranian shores. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the two ships attempted 'to exit the strait of Hormuz…
‘Tehran tollbooth’: what is Iran demanding and what would it mean for oil prices?
Published: April 23, 2026 08:00
Iran’s plan to extract a $2m payment from tankers using the strait of Hormuz could raise costs for years to comeA second round of peace talks between the US and Iran has begun amid renewed attacks on oil tankers in the strait of Hormuz and a US blockade on…
‘We’re attached to this land like a tree is rooted in soil’: unexpectedly timely exhibition speaks up for the people of south Lebanon
Published: April 23, 2026 06:42
While the population of southern Lebanon have sometimes felt abandoned by their own state, a show in London told their stories and celebrated their resistanceIn one room of London’s Palestine House, a large screen plays looped news footage from southern…
Middle East crisis live: US and Iran in blockade stalemate as Washington’s navy secretary leaves office ‘immediately’
Published: April 23, 2026 04:39
White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran…
Number of billionaires globally could reach 4,000 in next five years
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/apr/23/billionaires-super-rich-global-wealth-gap-economy
Published: April 23, 2026 04:00
There are now 3,110 billionaires but analysis shows ‘deep structural acceleration’ in wealth creation around worldThe number of billionaires in the world could reach nearly 4,000 by 2031, figures suggest, as the super-rich accumulate wealth at an…
Lebanon accuses Israel of blocking attempt to rescue journalist after bomb strike
Published: April 22, 2026 19:53
Journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj were both caught in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon, with the former trapped under rubble for hoursIsraeli strikes in southern Lebanon wounded one journalist and left another trapped under rubble on Wednesday…
‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran says
Published: April 22, 2026 17:31
Iranian forces seize two ships in critical waterway as Washington and Tehran maintain separate blockadesIranian forces have seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the critical shipping…
Strait of Hormuz is hosting gunboat diplomacy as US and Iran vie for most effective blockade
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/strait-of-hormuz-gunboat-diplomacy-us-iran-blockade
Published: April 22, 2026 15:48
Iran’s goal is to maintain chokehold on global economy even as some say it could run out of oil storage by SundayMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump’s indefinite shelving of the plan to bomb Iran’s bridges and power stations on Tuesday night is…
Palestinian boy, 14, among two killed in settler attack near West Bank school
Published: April 22, 2026 13:08
Local officials and witnesses say attackers shot at students first then those who arrived at the sceneTwo Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, have been killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid…
Iran parades what appear to be ballistic missiles during pro-military rallies in Tehran – video
Published: April 22, 2026 13:02
Iranian hardliners rallied late on Tuesday night as possible talks in Islamabad with the US broke down, with members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards apparently bringing ballistic missiles to parade in Tehran. Donald Trump had earlier said he was extending…
Gaza’s yellow line creeps forward as Israeli forces expand zone of control
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/gaza-yellow-line-creeps-westwards-israel
Published: April 22, 2026 12:04
Residents waking to find line has moved overnight and they are now in free-fire zone as army takes more territoryIsraeli forces have been moving an agreed truce line in Gaza westwards over the six months since the ceasefire, expanding their zone of control…
Tui cuts profit forecast as effects of Iran war cost travel group €40m
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/22/tui-cuts-profit-forecast-iran-war-cost-travel-group
Published: April 22, 2026 10:10
Firm had to repatriate almost 12,000 guests and staff, including from two cruise ships in Abu Dhabi and DohaThe Iran war has cost the travel company Tui €40m (£34.7m) so far, including repatriating almost 12,000 holidaymakers and staff, and forced it to…
Tehran’s embattled Jewish community endures despite Israeli bombing of synagogue
Published: April 22, 2026 08:00
Members of Rafi’ Nia synagogue braved airstrikes to celebrate Passover hours before it was destroyed On the evening of 6 April, Asef, 65, and other members of Tehran’s Jewish community braved the US-Israeli bombing campaign to celebrate an evening Passover…
What is Hezbollah? How the group embedded itself into the fabric of Lebanese life – video
Published: April 22, 2026 06:02
When Lebanon gets mentioned in the news, it’s often alongside Hezbollah. The group, designated by major western powers as a terrorist group, is varyingly characterised as a democratic political party in Lebanon’s parliament, as an organisation that…
Middle East crisis live: Trump extends ceasefire but US and Iran at loggerheads over port blockade
Published: April 22, 2026 04:46
US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says Iran’s Kharg Island storage facilities will be full and their ‘fragile’ oil wells shut in mere days because of the blockadeTrump announces extension of Iran ceasefire until ‘discussion concluded’Donald Trump’s…
Israel’s death penalty law could spell suspension from rights body role, says chief
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/israel-death-penalty-law-rights-body-council-of-europe
Published: April 22, 2026 04:00
Not using capital punishment ‘really a requirement’ for Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly, says presidentIsrael’s observer status at the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly could be suspended over the country’s new law mandating the death…
JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad for Iran negotiations on hold
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/21/trump-resume-bombing-iran-ceasefire
Published: April 21, 2026 19:01
Vice-president spotted at White House as Iran reportedly has not confirmed if it would participate in negotiationsMiddle East crisis – live updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailJD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad, where he was expected…
The Guardian view on the true cost of the Iran war: bombs kill – but so does the economic fallout | Editorial
Published: April 21, 2026 18:40
There is growing international concern as the fragile two-week ceasefire reaches its Wednesday deadline. Whatever happens next, the poor will payMore than 3,300 Iranians, including 383 children, have been killed since the US and Israel launched their…
Push to bring US and Iran together for talks as ceasefire deadline looms
Published: April 21, 2026 18:04
Donald Trump says US ready to renew attacks but Iran appears unwilling to bend to president’s threatsIntense efforts are under way to bring Iran and the US together in Pakistan for a new round of talks a day before the end of the two-week ceasefire that…
Two Israeli soldiers jailed over smashing of Jesus statue in Lebanon village
Published: April 21, 2026 17:22
Israel Defense Forces say the ‘soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and value’Two Israeli soldiers have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in jail after one used a sledgehammer to smash a statue of Jesus in southern…
Rabbi who boasts of bulldozing Palestinian homes will light torch for Israel’s national day
Published: April 21, 2026 16:02
Human rights campaigners say honour for Avraham Zarbiv endorses ethnic cleansing and war crimesMiddle East crisis – live updatesAn extremist rabbi known for razing civilian homes in Gaza will light a torch at Israel’s independence day celebration on…
With the US-Iran ceasefire about to expire, could Trump put boots on the ground?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/21/trump-iran-us-ceasefire-ground-war
Published: April 21, 2026 14:31
As the prospect of renewed negotiations hangs by a thread, the chances of Trump ordering some kind of ground incursion appear to be risingIt is the doomsday scenario that Donald Trump repeatedly swore he would never countenance; putting boots on the ground…
What went wrong in Israel? A genocide scholar examines ‘what Zionism became’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/21/omer-bartov-israel-zionism-genocide
Published: April 21, 2026 14:00
In his new book, Omer Bartov tracks how a liberatory strand of Zionism transformed into an extremist ideology that he sees as responsible for genocide in GazaFormer Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, when asked to explain the apparent about-face that led…
Requests for US legal aid linked to Palestine activism far surpass pre-2023 levels
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/21/us-legal-aid-palestine
Published: April 21, 2026 13:00
Civil rights group logs 300% yearly rise from before war and says ‘authoritarian repression … went into overdrive’A civil rights group dedicated to the defense of pro-Palestinian speech said that requests for legal assistance linked to Palestine-related…
Here is the biggest problem Washington faces: Iran sees no need to compromise | Sina Toossi
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/21/us-iran-compromise-washington-tehran-iran
Published: April 21, 2026 11:00
The US has failed to bomb Iran into submission. Now, from the strait of Hormuz to nuclear concessions, Tehran senses its position strengtheningIran’s delegation to the first round of post-ceasefire talks with the US in Islamabad arrived on a plane named…
‘Will they kill us too?’ Murder of leading feminist has chilling effect on Iraq’s activists
Published: April 21, 2026 06:00
Yanar Mohammed’s assassination comes amid a number of killings as fellow campaigners warn women’s rights are going backwardsIn early March, two unidentified gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on Iraq’s most notable women’s rights activist, Yanar Mohammed,…
Tuesday briefing: What it might take for lasting peace between the US and Iran
Published: April 21, 2026 05:45
In today’s newsletter: Our diplomatic editor on whether permanent peace is possible – or whether there will be a new escalation in the conflictGood morning. The Gulf is stuck in limbo between war and peace. Despite a ceasefire deal between the US and Iran,…
Middle East crisis live: Iran weighs Pakistan talks with US, and claims it has ‘new cards for battlefield’
Published: April 21, 2026 05:31
Iranian official stresses no decision made on taking part, as US vice-president JD Vance is set to travel to Islamabad for negotiations JD Vance to lead US delegation in Pakistan if Iran agrees to talksDonald Trump has said retrieving uranium from Iran…
Israeli soldiers using sexual assault to force Palestinians out of West Bank, report says
Published: April 21, 2026 05:00
Experts say attacks, also carried out by settlers, are leading girls to quit school and enter early marriagesIsraeli soldiers and settlers are using gendered violence and sexual assault and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied…
JD Vance to lead US delegation in Pakistan if Iran agrees to talks
Published: April 20, 2026 18:36
US vice-president to travel to Islamabad with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as deadline for current ceasefire loomsPakistan seeks to raise its global standing in push for Middle East peaceMiddle East crisis – live updatesJD Vance is expected to fly to…
The Guardian view on the EU and Israel: moving beyond mere exhortation | Editorial
Published: April 20, 2026 17:43
Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed aside European concerns over Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. A tougher approach from Brussels is overdueIn recent months, European expressions of concern over the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have regularly…
Iran war energy crisis: how bad could it get? – The Latest
Published: April 20, 2026 15:56
Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has…
US seizes Iranian-flagged ship that tried to pass strait of Hormuz blockade – video
Published: April 20, 2026 13:51
The US military attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday. The US president, Donald Trump, said the vessel, named Touska, had tried to get around the US naval blockade of the strait of Hormuz. Iran’s joint military command described the…
Pakistan seeks to raise its global standing in push for Middle East peace
Published: April 20, 2026 13:42
Islamabad has seized chance to act as mediator in Iran war and hopes to reap diplomatic and economic benefitsMiddle East crisis – live updatesAs Pakistan works frantically to narrow differences between Iran and the US in its newfound role as global…
US urges contractor to evacuate workers from Kuwait and Iraq over worries of Iran-backed attacks
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/20/defense-contractor-evacuate-iraq-kuwait
Published: April 20, 2026 11:00
After Guardian reports about danger to V2X employees, sources say state department raised concerns with defense contractorSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US government has called on the defense contractor…
Israeli army investigates soldier seen striking Jesus statue in Lebanon
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/20/israel-soldier-jesus-statue-sledgehammer-lebanon
Published: April 20, 2026 08:33
IDF says sledgehammer photo circulating online is authentic and is being viewed with ‘great severity’The Israeli army has said it is investigating a soldier who was seen apparently striking a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.The…
Middle East crisis live: ceasefire under pressure and talks in doubt as Iran threatens to ‘retaliate’ to US seizure of ship
Published: April 20, 2026 02:28
Donald Trump said on Sunday that US marines had taken custody of a vessel that tried to get past the American blockade on Iranian portsTehran has ‘no plans to participate’ in new talks, state media reports, as it accuses US of violating ceasefireNow in its…