Analysis finds private companies running care services took more than £250m in profits in just three English regions over the course of three years

Elderly residents of care home left anxious after Reform-led county council started consultation over plans for its closure

US-drafted resolution also includes reference to a future Palestinian state as US president’s plan would include international security force deployment The US-led resolution “endorses” Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, the first phase of which secured the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October. In addressing the second phase, the resolution: Authorises the creation of an International Stabilisation Force that would work to secure border areas, protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian assistance, support the training and deployment of a reconstituted Palestinian police force, and de-militarise the Strip (this includes overseeing the permanent de-commissioning of weapons held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza) Indicates that Israeli forces fully withdraw once the force has established security and operational control across the territory Approves the creation of a “Board of Peace” - the transitional governing body for Gaza, to be chaired by Trump, which will have an initial mandate to do so for the next two years – to coordinate security, humanitarian and reconstruction planning. This would guide Gaza towards a reformed Palestinian governing authority Mentions a possible future Palestinian state - a last-minute addition following pressure from Arab states. The resolution outlines a pathway towards Palestinian self-determination and eventual statehood, linked to accountable governance and reconstruction milestones. Israel, of course, continues to firmly reject the notion of a Palestinian state Continue reading...

Scientists find tiny amounts can be a ‘fatal dose’ for marine life in the most comprehensive study of its kind Ingesting less than three sugar cubes worth of plastic is enough to kill a puffin, a new study has found. Scientists measured how much different kinds of plastic seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals have to ingest to have a 90% risk of it killing them, in the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continue reading...

In his speech to his party’s youth wing on Saturday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) clearly distanced himself from the far-right AfD and stressed the importance of Europe and the European Unio...

The US president has said he backs US lawmakers efforts to release the files, ahead of an expected House vote this week

U.K. officials vow to “get on the front foot” as populist Brexiteer Nigel Farage picks his next target: the European Convention on Human Rights.

As the summit goes into its second week, complex issues remain with anxiety growing over conference outcomes

Rescue operations in Wales, submerged railway lines in Cornwall – these events are ever more common. So why have we utterly failed to prepare, asks Guardian columnist John Harris

Exclusive: Councils prosecuted just 64 landlords despite receiving 300,000 complaints from tenants in unfit homes

Chile’s former labor minister Jeannette Jara and far-right leader Jose Antonio Kast will face a presidential run-off after leading Sunday’s first-round vote, provisional results showed. With 82.97% counted, Jara had 26.71% and Kast 24.12%. The campaign has been dominated by rising violent crime blamed on foreign gangs.

Supreme court ruled ‘rape shield’ laws to limit intrusive cross-examination may breach men’s right to fair trial Scotland’s most senior law officer has moved to reassure victims of sexual abuse that they will be protected after a supreme court ruling warned that Scottish laws designed to limit intrusive cross-examination could be breaching men’s right to a fair trial. In a strongly worded statement, the lord advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, said: “I would like to make clear that I understand sexual abuse inflicted upon women and children to be the single greatest challenge our justice system faces. Continue reading...