Hayden Vernon

Israel rejected the US-led 15-point Gaza peace plan, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas was genuinely disarmed. Donald Trump said the US was pursuing limited negotiations and economic pressure rather than immediate further military action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran demanded concessions including an end to threats, sanctions and the US regional presence. A leaked Pentagon memo showed defense officials pressing industry to accelerate weapons production despite Trump’s denial of ammunition shortages. The war continued to generate domestic US criticism, including from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while Iran made senior security appointments, Israel was accused of abuses in southern Lebanon, and Syria and Russia agreed to reorganize Russia’s military presence on the Syrian coast.

Five Metropolitan Police officers were injured when a marine policing boat struck Westminster Bridge on the River Thames in central London. Several officers entered the water and were rescued, while emergency services including the London Fire Brigade, ambulance crews, HM Coastguard and the RNLI responded. No members of the public were believed to have been injured. The collision halted traffic over the bridge, closed parts of Westminster tube station and disrupted Thames Clippers services. The circumstances are to be thoroughly reviewed.

Heat health alerts are in force across southern and central England until Sunday morning, with temperatures potentially reaching 30C. The warnings follow record-dry conditions, a drought declaration in parts of Wales, depleted rivers and reservoirs, widespread hosepipe bans, and wildfires across the UK and Ireland. Forecasters expect some rain to move south over the weekend, but dry conditions are likely to persist in southern England, with warmer weather potentially returning next week. Met Office climate data indicates that extreme heat and drought are becoming more frequent as human-caused climate change intensifies.

The US carried out its 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military command centers, drone facilities, communications networks and coastal surveillance sites, with explosions reported near the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere. UN secretary general António Guterres warned that the Middle East was nearing an unimaginable and increasingly uncontrolled confrontation. Donald Trump threatened a potentially much larger attack on Iran and vowed to hold Tehran responsible for Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers, while Iran rejected a reported US ceasefire proposal. Washington also made a proposed Saudi civilian nuclear agreement contingent on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel. The conflict disrupted Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz shipping, pushed Brent crude above $100 a barrel and weighed on Asian markets. Rights groups warned that Iran could intensify executions of political prisoners, while Britain said it remained ready to defend itself after threats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The UK government says it is prepared to defend the country after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any base used by the US to attack Iran would be a legitimate target. Iran claimed US bombing missions were launched from RAF Fairford, although the UK Ministry of Defence has not confirmed whether the base was used. Britain continues to permit defensive US operations from its bases while declining to support offensive missions. The warning follows Iranian missile and drone attacks on facilities linked to the UK and US, escalating Gulf tensions, and Donald Trump’s consideration of a major new attack on Iran.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham paused an early-release scheme due to begin in September, ordering an urgent review before any prisoners are released. The plan could have freed up to 6,000 prisoners, including some violent and sexual offenders, prompting criticism from victims’ representatives and concerns from probation officers about operational chaos. The government also announced a 20% business-rate reduction for pubs, clubs and live-music venues in England, which Conservatives questioned as potentially unfunded. Other developments included scrutiny of Angela Rayner’s severance payment, Grant Shapps’s rejection as a Conservative candidate, disagreements with the US over Ed Miliband’s past comments about Donald Trump, cancelled British Army training in Kenya over a defence agreement dispute, and pressure on new energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh over possible North Sea drilling.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran would respond forcefully to any US attack on Iranian infrastructure after Donald Trump threatened to destroy a bridge or power plant for every Iranian strike on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s military said such action would expand the war and threatened to halt Gulf oil flows while targeting regional oil, gas, electricity and economic infrastructure. The warnings followed an 11th consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, as Houthi forces claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers and threatened further disruption to shipping. Oil prices rose above $95 a barrel. The United States also signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that could permit domestic uranium enrichment, drawing scrutiny over safeguards and the contrast with Washington’s stated aim of preventing Iran from enriching uranium. The conflict has caused civilian and military deaths, intensified regional insecurity and undermined ceasefire and diplomatic efforts.

EU regulators granted conditional approval for Paramount Skydance’s £80bn takeover of Warner Brothers after the company agreed to end a joint distribution venture with Universal. The merger still faces obstacles in the US, where a court-ordered pause followed objections from a coalition of states and an upcoming preliminary injunction hearing. Additional challenges include a lawsuit from the Writers Guild of America and potential UK government intervention over concerns about impacts on news and children’s programming. The deal’s delay may trigger significant financial penalties for Paramount if it extends past late September.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would review England’s controversial early prisoner release scheme with the justice secretary before hundreds of offenders are released under the new Sentencing Act in September. The policy has drawn particular criticism after two killers of police officer Andrew Harper were reported to be eligible, prompting condemnation from Harper’s widow Lissie and an offer of Conservative support for tougher exclusions. Burnham also announced a £2 bus fare cap, said he would examine the income tax personal allowance at the budget and reaffirmed UK NATO spending commitments. Critics warned that funding the fare cap partly by converting international climate finance into loans could harm poorer countries. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called for de-escalation in the US-Iran conflict, while Defence Secretary Wes Streeting backed greater European defence spending. Scotland’s first minister John Swinney said Glasgow was ready to host the Commonwealth Games.

Mohammad Tajik, 32, and Alnour Ali, 26, have been sentenced to two years and 27 months in prison respectively at Canterbury Crown Court for endangering people during separate small-boat crossings of the English Channel. They are the first people sentenced under a new offence introduced by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025. Tajik abandoned an overcrowded dinghy in poor weather when a rescue ship arrived, while Ali steered a boat whose passengers were packed into limited space and lacked adequate safety equipment. The judge said the crossings carried obvious and heightened risks but found no evidence that Ali was responsible for the deaths of four people near Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Home Office will separately decide whether either man should remain in the UK, with both automatically considered for deportation because their sentences exceed 12 months.

Donald Trump said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to stop fighting, but Israeli and Hezbollah statements and continued attacks cast doubt on the arrangement. Lebanon is seeking to expand the proposed reciprocal cessation of attacks into a full ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, while Iran has threatened to halt US talks unless Israeli operations cease. The conflict has also disrupted energy markets, with Brent crude rising sharply. UN Secretary-General António Guterres proposed options for maintaining a peacekeeping presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL’s mandate expires, and 14 UN experts warned that escalating Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem had killed at least 13 Palestinians and injured nearly 500 this year.

Israeli forces captured the strategic Beaufort Castle and ridge in southern Lebanon, marking their deepest incursion into the country in more than 26 years. Benjamin Netanyahu called the seizure a dramatic shift in the campaign against Hezbollah, while Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops would remain there as part of a security zone and Israel issued wider evacuation orders. France sought an emergency UN Security Council meeting, arguing that the expanding occupation could not be justified, while Lebanese authorities reported casualties among hospital staff and civilians and thousands of deaths since March. Israeli analysts and a former Beaufort commander questioned the operation’s strategic value, warning that it could be mainly symbolic, intensify domestic controversy and complicate a political solution. Prospective US-Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington are expected to address a repeatedly violated ceasefire, while Iran’s negotiator ruled out an agreement with the US unless Iranian rights are secured.

The live blog reports that Iran accused the United States of violating an April ceasefire after overnight strikes on targets in Iran’s Hormozgan province and warned that retaliation remained possible. Despite the attacks, Iran and the US continued peace talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. Israel simultaneously intensified military operations in southern Lebanon, moving beyond its self-declared Yellow Line and striking areas linked to Hezbollah, while also targeting a senior Hamas commander in Gaza. The developments increased uncertainty over the proposed peace agreement, raised oil prices above $100 a barrel and heightened risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The blog also covers partial restoration of Iran’s internet, violence in the West Bank, Israeli land expropriation near Nabi Samuel and a tanker explosion off Oman.

The United States and Iran appear closer to a potential peace agreement, but major disputes remain over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the US naval blockade, disposing of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and releasing frozen Iranian assets. Donald Trump said negotiators should not rush, while Iranian sources accused Washington of obstructing key provisions. Uncertainty nevertheless pushed Brent crude below $100 a barrel and lifted Asian and US equity futures. Israel demanded that any agreement eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat and continued strikes in Lebanon despite a ceasefire, with Lebanon reporting rising casualties. The negotiations also face domestic Republican opposition, communication difficulties within Iran and unresolved questions about the war’s wider regional scope.

The UK recorded its hottest May day for at least 79 years, with temperatures reaching 32.3C at Kew Gardens and heatwave thresholds met in parts of London, Suffolk, Oxfordshire and Essex. Temperatures were forecast to rise to 33–34C, while the Met Office said climate change has made a record-breaking May temperature roughly three times more likely than before the Industrial Revolution. The UK Health Security Agency issued amber heat alerts across several regions, warning older people and those with existing health conditions of increased health risks. Authorities also urged caution around open water after data showed most accidental water-related deaths occur inland; a 15-year-old boy, Declan Sawyer, was found dead after entering a lake in Lincoln. Residents in three Kent villages also faced renewed water-supply problems linked to pumping-station issues.

Labour suffered a historic defeat in Wales, falling to third place with nine Senedd seats as Plaid Cymru won 43 and Reform UK took 34, ending more than a century of Labour dominance. Reform also gained more than 1,000 English council seats and control of at least seven councils, while the Greens made major advances in councils and mayoral contests. The SNP secured a fifth consecutive term in Scotland. Keir Starmer accepted responsibility for Labour’s poor performance but ruled out resigning, despite calls from MPs and trade union figures for an exit timetable or a major change of direction. The results point to a fragmented British political landscape, with nationalist parties, Reform, Greens and Liberal Democrats all gaining ground at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives.

Clifton George, 45, admits manslaughter but denies murdering his partner Annabel Rook, 46, at their Stoke Newington home on 17 June 2025. Prosecutors say he punched and strangled Rook during an argument, stabbed her at least 22 times, and then opened a propane canister and started a fire that caused a major explosion. George was found injured in the garden and allegedly tried to stab himself. The prosecution says jurors must assess the couple’s relationship and George’s state of mind in deciding whether the killing amounted to murder.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has called for airports to stop serving alcohol before standard licensing hours and to impose a two-drink limit, arguing that early-morning drinking contributes to disruptive behaviour on flights. He says Ryanair now diverts nearly one flight a day because of passenger misconduct, compared with about one a week a decade ago. Ryanair has pursued compensation from disruptive passengers, while Jet2 has called for a national database to help airlines jointly restrict repeat offenders.

US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan ended without agreement, prompting Donald Trump to announce a US blockade of Iranian ports and threaten attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure. Iran rejected the threats and warned that military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz would violate the ceasefire. The standoff pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel and weighed on Australian shares, while Australia said it had not been asked to participate in the blockade. The coverage also reported the war's substantial cost to Israel, possible limited US strikes, and Pope Leo XIV's appeal for negotiations, which drew a sharp rebuke from Trump.

Oliuwadamilola Ogunyankinnu, 27, has been charged with murdering 21-year-old Finbar Sullivan, who was fatally stabbed in Primrose Hill, north London. Ogunyankinnu is due to appear at Stratford magistrates court, while a 25-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender was released without further action. Another wounded man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Sullivan’s father said his son had visited the park to film with a birthday camera and hoped to become a cameraman.

The Guardian’s live coverage reports that Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched a second wave of cruise-missile and drone attacks against Israel and vowed to continue operations. The regional war has expanded across the Gulf, with Iranian strikes prompting air-defense responses in the UAE and Kuwait, damage to Kuwait’s airport radar, injuries at Aluminium Bahrain, and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Israel reported continued strikes on Iran, while the Pentagon was reportedly developing plans for limited ground raids despite no approval from Donald Trump. The conflict also produced mounting humanitarian and press-freedom concerns: Israeli strikes killed journalists and nine paramedics in southern Lebanon, and an Israeli assault on a CNN crew was condemned. Ukraine signed air-defense cooperation agreements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while Pakistan pursued mediation and negotiated tanker passage. The coverage also notes protests against Trump, Reza Pahlavi’s call for a future Iranian government, and threats by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard against US university campuses in the region.