Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Donald Trump has revoked Secret Service protection for former vice-president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, according to a memorandum obtained by CNN and confirmed to the Guardian by a senior White House official. The letter, dated Thursday and addressed to the secretary of Homeland Security, instructs the Secret Service to “discontinue any security-related procedures beyond those required by law” from 1 September 2025. Federal law grants former vice-presidents six months of protection after leaving office. For Harris, that period expired on 21 July. However, her security had been extended by a directive signed by then president Joe Biden…

The United Nations Security Council has voted to extend its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another 16 months but ordered it to conclude at the end of 2026, following pressure from Israel and the United States. The unanimous decision on Thursday renews the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) ahead of its expiry on Sunday. The resolution stipulates that Unifil’s 10,800 troops will begin an “orderly and safe withdrawal” from December 2026, ending a presence that began in 1978. Unifil was created to oversee Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and now patrols the border area between the…

The United Kingdom and European Union have summoned Russia’s ambassadors after a wave of missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 23 people, including four children, and severely damaged the offices of the British Council and the EU delegation. The overnight assault was the deadliest on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump earlier this month. A further 38 people were injured as missiles and drones struck more than 20 locations across the city. In Kyiv’s eastern Darnytskyi district, a residential building was hit shortly after midnight, while a separate blast in the central…

Artificial intelligence systems have provided detailed instructions on carrying out terrorist attacks and other serious crimes, according to new safety tests conducted this summer. Researchers found that OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 model described weak points at major sports venues, explained how to make explosives and anthrax, and offered advice on covering tracks. The model also produced recipes for illegal drugs. The findings emerged from a rare collaboration between OpenAI, the $500bn Silicon Valley firm led by Sam Altman, and its rival Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI staff. Each company tested the other’s models by attempting to provoke dangerous responses. The behaviour uncovered…

A pornographic website that published doctored images of several high-profile Italian women, including the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the opposition leader, Elly Schlein, has provoked widespread outrage in Italy. The platform, Phica, which has more than 700,000 subscribers, altered images taken from personal social media accounts and public appearances, often accompanied by vulgar and sexist captions. Photographs of women from across the political spectrum were manipulated to suggest sexual poses or focus on body parts, and published in the site’s “VIP section”. Among those targeted were Meloni’s sister, Arianna, senior figures from the Democratic Party (PD), and prominent cultural…

Narendra Modi will arrive in China this weekend for his first visit in seven years, placing him alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a moment of deepening strains between Delhi and Washington. The Indian prime minister is due in Tianjin on Sunday for a regional security summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), just days after the United States doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50%. Washington cited India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil as the reason for the move. The sharp escalation has unsettled years of strengthening ties between Delhi and Washington, built around technology and shared…

Malawi is confronting a severe shortage of tuberculosis (TB) medicines, with health officials warning that national stocks will be exhausted by the end of September, raising fears that thousands of patients may see their treatment interrupted or halted altogether. The crisis comes only months after the World Health Organization (WHO) commended the country for significant progress in the fight against the disease, announcing earlier this year that Malawi had managed to reduce TB cases by 40% over the past decade and achieved high rates of treatment success. Dr Samson Mndolo, the secretary for health, said the shortage stemmed from a…

Seven people have been flown to Rwanda under a new agreement with the United States to take in deportees, the Rwandan government has said, in a move that has reignited debate over the ethics of third-country resettlement schemes. Yolande Makolo, a government spokesperson, confirmed on Thursday that the first group arrived in mid-August. “Three of the individuals have expressed a desire to return to their home countries, while four wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda,” she said. The authorities did not disclose the nationalities of those deported. Under the deal, announced on 5 August, Rwanda has agreed to…

Kim Jong Un will travel to Beijing next week to attend a major military parade alongside China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, state media in Pyongyang and Beijing have confirmed. The event, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, will bring together 26 foreign leaders. No representatives from the United States or western Europe are expected. It will be Kim’s first visit to China in six years and one of his rare trips abroad since the pandemic. North Korea’s leader has remained largely isolated internationally, though his relationship with Russia has…

The United States’ top public health body has been thrown into turmoil after the Trump administration moved to oust the head of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, less than a month after she was sworn into office. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday evening that Monarez was no longer serving as CDC director, though it gave no explanation for her removal. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” read a short, unsigned statement posted to social media. Monarez’s lawyers, however, disputed the announcement, insisting she had…