• Britain needs its own Iron Dome after Iran's attacks on Israel gave the West a 'wake up call', defence chiefs claim

    Israel has some 10 batteries for intercepting enemy missiles across the country. Britain currently relies on Typhoon fighter jets and Type-45 destroyers. Iron Dome batteries can neutralise threats launched from up to 43 miles away

  • The Sydney church terror attack is a wake-up call for Australians

    Sydney has been rocked by another stabbing rampage – just days after six people were murdered in a knife attack…What to read next: The unimaginable tragedy of the Sydney stabbing attack | Iran’s attack was just a taste of what could be to come | Thwarting Iran’s attack was not a ‘win’ for Israel | American weakness made the Iran attack possible

  • The Guardian view on pilgrimage: a 21st-century spiritual exercise

    As a recent BBC series confirms, the idea of a spiritual journey has survived the decline of organised religionIn Geoffrey Chaucer’s England, the arrival of spring was taken by many as a cue to take to the road. As the prologue to The Canterbury Tales begins: “When in April the sweet showers fall/And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all/ Then people long to go on pilgrimages”.Given Britain’s increasingly damp climate, contemporary pilgrims are as likely to encounter persistent rain...

  • The Guardian view on arming Ukraine: US Congress votes against appeasement

    While Donald Trump is in court, House Republicans rejected their presidential nominee’s bad land-for-peace deal in Ukraine In chaos theory, the flapping of butterfly wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. This weekend, Ukraine experienced a butterfly moment. Donald Trump’s efforts to conceal the fact that he bought the silence of a porn star before the 2016 election landed him in court, facing charges that preoccupy him enough for congressional Republicans to reject his...

  • as voters give a wake up call to Anthony Albanese about cost of living

    Anthony Albanese remains the preferred prime minister over opposition leader Peter Dutton after two new polls found the major parties are running neck and neck ahead of the May budget.

  • The Guardian view on the French left: divided it will fall and fail, again

    The radical right is set to dominate forthcoming European elections. Progressives need a fresh start and a new approachThe political signals coming from France are ominous. According to one poll last week, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party (RN) has increased its lead to a runaway 15 points ahead of June’s European elections. For Emmanuel Macron, who pledged to use the French presidency to halt the rise of the far right, all indicators point to a humiliating defeat that would overshadow the...

  • The Guardian view on escalation in the Middle East: calculation does not equate to safety

    Both Iran and Israel are calibrating their responses. That does not mean the region should breathe easyThe danger facing the Middle East is not from wild or impulsive action, but from the considered decisions of men who believe they know what they are doing and how their opponents will respond. Their confidence is not reassuring when their judgment has previously fallen short.On Friday, Iran was quick to play down the overnight strike by Israel, suggesting that it was unclear who was responsible...

  • The Guardian view on the catastrophe in Gaza: it must not be overshadowed by the Iran crisis

    Hopes of a ceasefire have ebbed, concerns about an assault on Rafah endure, and aid remains wholly insufficientThe Middle East is “on the precipice” and “one miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable,” the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, warned on Thursday. Israel has vowed to retaliate to Iran’s weekend barrage of missiles and drones – itself a response to Israel’s killing of two generals at an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus. It is hard to...

  • Red Sox embarrassing lineup should be a wake-up call for John Henry

    The Boston Red Sox used to be a team willing to do whatever it takes to find a way to win. Sure, spending large amounts of money in free agency meant that bad d

  • Boris Johnson joins calls for a boost to Britain's defence spending

    The former prime minister urged Rishi Sunak's Government to strike a 'more robust posture' by boosting military investment in the face of rising global threats.

  • The Guardian view on the Sahel and its crises: the west can still make a difference

    The region is turning towards Russia and other global players when it comes to security. Tackling the climate crisis would contribute to a solutionTwo apparently separate developments in the Sahel are linked by more than geography. Last week, the US confirmed that it will withdraw more than 1,000 troops from Niger after the military junta revoked a security pact – just six years after a new $110m military base opened. Meanwhile, a record heatwave is the latest deadly extreme weather event.The US...

  • Viewing own face on video calls has surprising negative impact, study finds

    Academics at the University of Galway found that people who take part in meetings on apps like Zoom or Teams become more fatigued when they can see themselves on screen