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May 4, 2026 - World

The author of a definitive examination of the Iranian Revolution is warning that Donald Trump's unprovoked war on Iran was not only a catastrophic strategic failure — it has also exposed America and its allies to a terrifying new vulnerability that terrorist groups and hostile regimes now know how to easily exploit.In a column for the New York Times, Scott Anderson, author of "King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation," argues that the Pentagon's Operation Epic Fury should be relabeled "Operation Colossal Blunder."Rather than sparking a popular uprising against Tehran's regime or forcing its capitulation, the American and Israeli bombing campaign backfired spectacularly," Anderson wrote, Instead, Iran discovered it could weaponize its geographic advantage by threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz — a vital global shipping lane — and send the world economy into chaos."There are now only two outcomes to the conflict: either the kind of wholesale destruction of Iran that Mr. Trump posited, or a settlement that will leave the government intact and empowered, and a blustering American president humiliated," Anderson wrote.The standoff has revealed a devastating reality about modern warfare. While critical sites like the White House can be made drone-proof through defensive measures, large-scale defensive shielding is impossible — as Israel has discovered with its much-vaunted Iron Dome air defense system, which has proven repeatedly vulnerable to Iranian attacks.Trump's demonstration of American military limits has effectively handed hostile actors a blueprint for future blackmail. Every geographically strategic chokepoint in the world — the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, and even airspace over New York — is now vulnerable to attack by any hostile force capable of building a weaponized drone and willing to accept the consequences.According to Anderson, "Alarmist? Think of some of the apocalyptic regimes or murderous guerrilla groups of the recent past — the Baader-Meinhof Gang in West Germany, or the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, or bin Laden’s Al Qaeda — and imagine what they might have done with a $2,000 weaponized drone."The conflict has fundamentally altered the calculus of global power, giving small actors outsized leverage over world commerce and security.

May 4, 2026 - World

Cole Allen remains in custody after being charged with attempting to assassinate Donald TrumpSign up for the Breaking News US emailThe new nominee for US surgeon general is an “effective communicator” who appears to be “mainstream enough” to pass confirmation before the US Senate, experts say.But she has questioned routine childhood vaccines and other public health measures, and she is a progenitor of the “Make America healthy again” movement. Continue reading...

May 4, 2026 - World

Kent schoolgirl tracks down 10,000 namesakes as part of campaign – but non-Kirstys are welcome to donate tooCalling all Kirstys! A schoolgirl from Tunbridge Wells in Kent is seeking people who share her name to help raise money for research into paediatric brain tumours like the one for which she is being treated.Kirsty Waugh, who turns 12 on Monday, has already persuaded more than 10,000 Kirstys, Kirsties, Kersties and assorted other variants to plot their locations on a map that shows Kirstys can be found everywhere from Colombia to Malaysia, and even at the Rothera research station in Antarctica. Continue reading...

May 4, 2026 - World

Lobbyist Tara Singh says stripping projects of subsidy contracts would undermine investor confidence in UKBritain could be beset by levels of economic chaos last seen under Liz Truss if a Reform UK government were to fulfil its promise to strip renewable energy projects of subsidy contracts, according to the industry’s chief lobbyist.The anti-renewables policy put forward by Nigel Farage’s populist party would severely undermine investor confidence in the energy industry and across the wider UK economy, the new chief executive of RenewableUK said. Continue reading...

May 4, 2026 - World

US president’s post follows flurry of mixed signals including concern Tehran had not ‘paid big enough price’. Plus, could Santa Marta climate talks mark ground zero in push to ditch fossil fuels?Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Donald Trump has announced this morning that the US will “guide” ships trapped in the Gulf by the Iran war through the strait of Hormuz, and claimed his representatives were having “very positive” discussions with Iran.What has Iran said? The head of the Iranian military’s unified command has said US and foreign armed forces will be attacked if they enter the strait. It told US forces to stay out of the area and said its forces would respond harshly to any threat. It also told commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement in the absence of coordination with Iran’s military.What did Comey say about the post? Comey deleted the post and apologized. He said the hadn’t known what the expression meant and condemned violence. He has said he is innocent and denies any wrongdoing. Continue reading...