Middle East crisis live: US attacks Iran missile sites as Tehran negotiators hold talks in Qatar 26. May 2026 (08:58) US Central Command claims targets also included boats trying to lay mines, rattling ceasefire, while Iranians meet with Qatari prime minister in DohaIsrael escalates strikes in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows to ‘crush’ HezbollahHuge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, despite punishing desert temperatures and the crisis in the Middle East, AFP reports.From daybreak, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Group of women and children linked to Islamic State land in Melbourne with others expected in Sydney 26. May 2026 (08:54) Cohort of 12 children and seven women who were held in a Syrian camp were expected to fly into Sydney and Melbourne on TuesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA plane carrying some of the 19 Australian women and children held in Syria since the defeat of Islamic State has landed in Melbourne, with the remainder due to land in Sydney on Tuesday evening.The cohort of 12 children and seven women left a Syrian detention camp last week before boarding flights home. Most either left Australia more than a decade ago, or were born in Syria or Iraq after their parents travelled to the so-called caliphate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jewish Australians report harassment and intimidation after giving evidence at antisemitism royal commission 26. May 2026 (08:06) Commissioner says multiple witnesses reported ‘a dramatic increase in online hate messages’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJewish Australians have reported a dramatic increase in harassment and intimidation online after giving evidence at the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.Before starting hearings on Tuesday morning the commissioner, Virginia Bell, said at least one instance had been referred to the Australian federal police. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Medieval King Arthur manuscript could fetch £2m at auction 26. May 2026 (08:00) Book containing early versions of the Merlin and Grail legends has remained in private hands for 700 years In one illustration, painted on vellum and decorated with gold leaf, the sorcerer Merlin is depicted as a powerful shape-shifter who has transformed into a talking stag. In another, the Knights of the Round Table are shown returning, victorious, from battle.The illustrations appear in one of the earliest manuscripts to tell the tale of King Arthur and the search for the holy grail – a richly illuminated medieval tome which, for more than 700 years, has been in private hands. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Family of missing woman hope raid on UK-based sect will bring answers 26. May 2026 (08:00) Seven years after Lisa Wiese went missing, a police raid on the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light has given her family a glimmer of hopeAs he watched the footage of a convoy of police vehicles driving through the security gates of the headquarters of a religious sect, AbdelRahman Hashem felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe now his two children would get answers to what happened to their mother.The last time the children heard from her was seven years ago. In an email sent from a budget hotel in India, she had written: “Mommy loves and misses them so much, so very much … they are both my best friends and my favorite people in the whole world.” Two days later, she disappeared. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK security services helped devise act that gave amnesty over Troubles killings 26. May 2026 (07:00) Revelation that policing and state agency figures were in secret policymaking group angers victims’ groupsThe British security services were involved in formulating the controversial Legacy Act, which offered an amnesty to soldiers and paramilitiaries despite MI5’s role in many killings during the Northern Ireland Troubles, it can be revealed.The presence of policing and state agency figures among a secret policymaking group involved in devising the act – a fact established through an investigation by Belfast-based newsletter the Detail and shared with the Guardian – has angered victims’ groups already critical of the legislation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two men arrested in connection to Dezi Freeman’s movements after Porepunkah shootings 26. May 2026 (06:45) A 48-year-old and 45-year-old will be interviewed by police after their arrests at two separate locations in north-east VictoriaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo men have been arrested in connection to Porepunkah shooter Dezi Freeman’s months on the run after he killed two police officers.Police on Tuesday said detectives had arrested the men – aged 48 and 45 – at two separate locations in north-east Victoria as part of Operation Summit, the investigation into Freeman’s movements after the shootings at Porepunkah. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK consumers likely to face higher prices ‘for many months to come’ 26. May 2026 (06:00) Data shows even if Iran war ends, shop price inflation on rise, while only 16% of firms left unscathed by conflictHigher prices could persist over the summer even if ceasefire talks between the US and Iran bear fruit, consumers have been warned, with economic shock waves likely to be felt “for many months to come”.Disruption to global shipping, coupled with soaring prices for energy and raw materials, have driven up costs for UK companies, with the impact already filtering through to prices paid at the tills, according to fresh inflation figures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Indians protest over ‘forever chemicals’ after relocation of scandal-hit Italian factory 26. May 2026 (06:00) Lack of Pfas regulations raised in parliament after Guardian revealed former Miteni plant bought by Indian companyProtests over the production of cancer-linked Pfas chemicals have spread across India, after an investigation revealed that an Italian factory shut down due to an environmental scandal was bought by an Indian company and partly rebuilt.At the end of last year, the Guardian revealed that the former Miteni plant in Vicenza had been acquired by the Indian company Laxmi Organic Industries. The factory produced Pfas and was shut down in 2018 after being linked to one of Italy’s worst environmental contamination scandals. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trial of Jeffrey Donaldson for alleged sex offences to begin in Newry 26. May 2026 (06:00) Former DUP leader faces charges spanning 21 years in case that triggered political earthquake in Northern IrelandThe trial of former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson for alleged sex offences is set to begin in a case that triggered a political earthquake in Northern Ireland.Donaldson, 63, is charged with rape, gross indecency and other sexual offences spanning 21 years. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, is charged with aiding and abetting rape and indecent assault and will be subject to a trial of facts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
