Exclusive: Source says senior legal figures appear reluctant to head investigation launched by Keir Starmer in June Keir Starmer’s national grooming gangs inquiry has stalled amid wrangles over its remit and difficulties in finding a senior legal figure willing to become its chair, the Guardian has been told. Terms of the statutory investigation are still … Read more
Crown Prosecution Service denies it blocked publication of material and says decision rests with the government Downing Street is under pressure to publish its evidence in the collapsed China spy case after the Crown Prosecution Service denied having blocked its release. Keir Starmer is likely to come under scrutiny at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday … Read more
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina said he has fled the country in fear for his life following a military rebellion but did not announce his resignation in a speech broadcast on social media late Monday from an undisclosed location. Rajoelina has faced weeks of Gen Z-led anti-government protests, which reached a pivotal point … Read more
Today’s top stories Israel released nearly 2,000 prisoners yesterday as part of the initial phase of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Hamas also freed the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages. Some of the Palestinians who returned to Gaza were journalists, doctors and first responders who were taken from hospitals and off the streets by soldiers. … Read more
The peace ceremony, part of a quick trip to the Middle East, provided a chance for Arab and Muslim leaders to take a bow. SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT — President Donald Trump said a “beautiful day is rising” as he signed a peace agreement in Egypt alongside key players in the deal that brings to an … Read more
The former president accused the Trump administration of pursuing “a deliberate end-run” around the law. Former President Barack Obama decried the Trump administration’s deployment of military troops to American cities, saying the moves amount to “a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy.” In an appearance on the final episode of comedian Marc … Read more
Senate Democrats voted once again Tuesday night to reject the GOP-led funding patch, guaranteeing the government shutdown stretches beyond the two-week point. Nearly 14 days since federal funding lapsed, the failed vote marks the eighth time the Senate has failed to advance the House-passed measure. And there’s no sign the bill is on the precipice … Read more
Mounting drone incursions are sparking a debate on national rules that some see as limiting NATO’s top military officer. BRUSSELS — NATO is hunting for ways to plug holes in its vulnerable air defenses in response to growing incursions by swarms of drones and Russian jets brazenly entering its skies. On Wednesday, defense ministers from … Read more
The Taliban claimed to have captured 25 Pakistani army posts. KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan said Sunday it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, in response to what it called repeated violations of its territory and airspace. Pakistan’s army gave far lower casualty figures, saying 23 troops were killed. Earlier in the week, Afghan … Read more
Polish President Karol Nawrocki is vowing to scuttle any effort to change the legal system set up by the previous Law and Justice party government. WARSAW — Poland’s centrist government is pushing to restore the rule of law undermined by the previous populist administration — but the country’s divided politics mean the chances of success … Read more