The Guardian

UK chancellor said to have told US treasury secretary she did not like his tone during meeting in Washington in April UK politics live – latest updates Middle East crisis – live updates Rachel Reeves had an angry exchange with her US counterpart, Scott Bessent, in Washington last month over the war in Iran, sources have said, in the latest sign of the deepening tensions between the two countries.…

Kremlin tightens security ahead of Russia’s biggest national celebration on 9 May amid fears of Ukrainian drone strikes Russia shut down airports and temporarily cut mobile internet access for many users in Moscow on Tuesday, as it tightened security ahead of the 9 May Victory Day parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany. The parade – Russia’s foremost national celebration – has already been sca…

French president pitches in for Nikol Pashinyan, who faces stiff challenge from pro-Russia parties in vote next month Emmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country’s destiny lay with Europe. The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan …

London-headquartered bank’s shares slide as it sets aside an extra $300m to cover effects of Middle East conflict Business live – latest updates HSBC has taken a $1.3bn (£961m) hit to profits, amid the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran and fraud in the troubled private credit sector . The London-headquartered bank said profits fell 4% in the first three months of the year, dropping $100m to …

Sightline Intelligence sent AI-supported tool to company that provides drones to Israeli military, research group says Anti-war activists in Portland , Oregon , are pushing city authorities to ensure no local resources, tax breaks or investments support a local company that appears to be supplying artificial intelligence software to the Israeli military. The company, Sightline Intelligence, manuf…

US president directs fresh criticism at pontiff days before secretary of state Marco Rubio’s visit to Vatican Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”. The remarks come two days before Marco Rubio, the US secretary of…

Jonathan Rinderknecht’s attorneys say he’s being used as scapegoat for Los Angeles fire department’s failure to fully extinguish earlier blaze Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades fire in Los Angeles was upset over a failed relationship and his lack of plans for New Year’s Eve – and he ranted about being ang…

Originally envisioned to run 1,700km from Melbourne to a port near Brisbane, the mega infrastructure project will now only connect Beveridge in Victoria to Parkes in NSW Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Albanese government will drastically scale back the beleaguered inland rail project, abandoning plans to connect country NSW and Queensland by rail, as the price ta…

Ministers take action after survey showing almost half of students had gone without food for financial reasons French universities have begun offering €1 meals to all students regardless of income in a measure designed to address financial hardship. Student unions have been pushing to extend the €1 rate – down from the usual €3.30 – for a three-course meal to all students, which was previously on…

Minor damage to gates is believed to have been caused by fire that CCTV shows was started deliberately, Met says Counter terrorism police are investigating whether a fire at a former synagogue in east London is part of an arson campaign linked to Iran. Police said the latest fire broke out at the building on Nelson Street, in Tower Hamlets. The synagogue, which is of cultural significance to Lond…

Over one million entries received from UK runners London also sets record with 1.3m total applications The London Marathon has set yet more records with organisers announcing that 1.8% of the UK adult population – more than one million people – have applied to run in next year’s race. Running’s boom was also reflected in a world record 1,338,544 global application for the 2027 London Marathon – u…

In sobering comments, the RBA governor forecasts economic malaise due to the global fuel shock. Not recession but higher prices, lower growth and wages that don’t keep pace with inflation Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast As far as rallying cries go, Michele Bullock’s “we are poorer, and there is no way out of that” leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not going to win you …

Trump-endorsed candidate facing a long-shot challenge from car designer and YouTube provocateur Casey Putsch Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping to lock in his position as candidate in the race to become Ohio governor. Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US vess…

State expected to play major role in deciding whether Republicans maintain control of Congress in his final two years Voters in Ohio on Tuesday are selecting candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections. The state is expected to play a major role in deciding whether Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans maintain control of Congress for the final two years of his term. The race with the highest na…

The launch of ‘Project Freedom’ in the strait of Hormuz has brought the region back to the brink of full-scale war. Plus: The electoral battle for Congress Good morning. Donald Trump has again raised the stakes in the Gulf region with the Monday launch of “Project Freedom” to open a route through the strait of Hormuz. More than 800 ships and roughly 20,000 crew members remain stranded in the regi…