Middle East crisis: Israel issues evacuation order for parts of northern Gaza – as it happened

IDF says residents should evacuate Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Zayed, al-Manshiya and Tal al-Zaatar

At least 50,399 Palestinian people have been killed and 114,583 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

At least 42 bodies and 183 injured people have been received by hospitals in Gaza over the last day, according to the territory’s health ministry, which said that at least 1,042 Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli forces since Israel broke the ceasefire with Hamas on 18 March.

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French ministers condemn threats to judges in Marine Le Pen case

Senior figures also reject claim verdict against Le Pen on embezzlement charges was ‘political and partisan’

French ministers have condemned threats against the judges who convicted the far-right leader Marine Le Pen and banned her from public office for five years as the chief judge was placed under police protection after receiving death threats.

France’s prime minister, François Bayrou, told the Assemblée nationale the trial judges had his “unconditional support” after they found Le Pen guilty of embezzlement charges, threatening her 2027 presidential run and throwing France into political chaos.

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Australian police will testify at trial of US man linked to Wieambilla shootings

Arizona allows testimony in the case of Donald Day who is accused of making threats to public figures and the FBI

Australian police officers have been given the green light to testify in the US trial of a man accused of links to the deadly Wieambilla shootings in rural Queensland.

The Queensland officers will be allowed to testify in an Arizona court but will have to stick to “neutral factual” accounts of the incident.

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Wild co-founders ‘land £100m’ from sale of natural deodorant maker

Childhood friends sell upmarket brand to Unilever, the maker of Dove soap, Axe deodorant and Marmite

A pair of UK entrepreneurs selling refillable deodorant cases and manuka honey lip balms made from natural ingredients have reportedly landed a near-£100m payday from the sale of their brand to the global consumer goods group Unilever.

Wild, founded by childhood friends Freddy Ward and Charlie Bowes-Lyon, has been bought by Unilever, the maker of Dove soap, Axe deodorant and Marmite.

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Trump cuts to Noaa disrupt staffing and weather forecasts: ‘Incompetent chaos’

US climate agency upended as Doge efforts to slash federal government compromise email security

A sense of chaos has gripped the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), one of the world’s premier research agencies, with key staff hastily fired and then rehired, cuts to vital weather forecasting operations and even a new, unsecured server that led to staff being deluged by obscene spam emails.

Noaa is currently being upended by Donald Trump’s desire to slash the federal government workforce, with more than 1,000 people already fired or resigning from the agency and 1,000 more staffers are expected to be removed as the purge continues. In total, this represents around 20% of the Noaa’s workforce.

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Markets brace for trade war as Trump prepares reciprocal tariffs | First Thing

President promises to be ‘very kind’, but critics warn his strategy risks triggering chain reaction and global trade war. Plus, Nasa astronauts reject claims of neglect

Good morning.

As Donald Trump prepared to unveil a swathe of reciprocal tariffs, global markets braced themselves and some Republican senators voiced their opposition to a strategy that critics warn risks a global trade war, provoking retaliation by major trading partners such as China, Canada and the EU.

What do Europeans think of the plans? A large majority of western Europeans support retaliatory tariffs against the US, a survey has shown, if Trump introduces sweeping import duties for major trading partners as expected this week.

What did the memo say? The memo, reviewed by the Times, stated that “such elevated access to critical high-value asset systems is rare with respect to individual systems and no single [Department of Interior] official presently has access to all HR, payroll and credentialing systems”.

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Asylum system risks ‘damaging social cohesion’, Glasgow city council warns

Council says cost running into tens of millions, as homeless refugees granted asylum across UK come to city for support

The asylum system risks “damaging social cohesion” with homeless refugees putting “unprecedented pressure” on Glasgow services, the city council has warned.

Glasgow city council, the largest asylum dispersal area outside London, had welcomed asylum seekers for decades, said the city convener for homelessness, Allan Casey.

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Rightwing groups across US push new bans to limit ‘obscene’ books in libraries

Critics say bans would hinder rights as proponents would impose their beliefs on others who don’t share their views

Rightwing groups around the US are pushing legislation that would place new limits on what books are allowed in school libraries in a move that critics decry as censorship often focused on LGBTQ+ issues or race or imposing conservative social values.

Caught up in the attempts at suppressing books are classics like The Color Purple and Slaughterhouse Five.

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Chinese military launches large-scale drills around Taiwan – AP News

  1. Chinese military launches large-scale drills around Taiwan  AP News
  2. China launches military drills from ‘multiple directions’ around Taiwan, testing US resolve  CNN
  3. China launches military drills around Taiwan, calls Taiwan president a 'parasite'  Reuters
  4. China holds major war games around Taiwan as U.S. boosts ties with Japan to deter "Chinese military aggression"  CBS News
  5. China practices attacks and blockades in fresh military exercises around Taiwan  NPR
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Germany launches permanent troop deployment on NATO’s eastern flank – politico.eu

  1. Germany launches permanent troop deployment on NATO’s eastern flank  politico.eu
  2. Germany Deploys Troops on Russia's Doorstep for First Time Since World War II  Newsweek
  3. Die Panzerbrigade 45 offiziell in Dienst  SPARTANAT.com
  4. WW3 fears as Germany sends 5,000 troops to Lithuania to 'protect' NATO's eastern flank  Daily Star
  5. German Army Deploys Brigade in Lithuania to Strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank  Odessa Journal
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UK housebuilders ‘very bad’ at building houses, says wildlife charity CEO

Land speculation to blame for lack of progress amid Labour drive to build 1.5m new homes, says Wildlife Trusts head

Housebuilders in the UK are failing to supply much-needed new homes not because of restrictive planning laws, but because they are “very bad” at building houses, the head of one of the UK’s biggest nature charities has warned.

“There’s planning permission today for a million new houses,” said Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts. “So why aren’t they being built? Why is it that volume housebuilders in this country are actually very bad at building houses, even when they’ve got planning permission?”

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Pope Francis remains in stable condition – Vatican News

  1. Pope Francis remains in stable condition  Vatican News
  2. Pope's willingness to show his frailty provides an example to young and old alike in aging world  AP News
  3. Pope Francis Came Near Death in Hospital, His Doctor Says  The New York Times
  4. God's mercy is for everyone; everyone needs healing, pope writes  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  5. Pope Francis’ Health Continues to Improve, Vatican Says  The New York Times
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