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Trump-led abuses amid ‘democratic recession’ put human rights in peril, HRW report says
ByKaren McVeigh February 4, 2026

Rights group says growing authoritarianism and abuses in US, Russia and China threaten global rules-based orderThe world is in a “democratic recession” with almost three-quarters of the global population now living under autocratic rulers – levels not …

Read More Trump-led abuses amid ‘democratic recession’ put human rights in peril, HRW report says
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Trump administration | US foreign policy | US military | US news | US politics | World news

US shoots down Iranian drone flying towards aircraft carrier, navy says
ByGuardian staff and agencies February 3, 2026February 4, 2026

Shahed-139 said to have approached USS Abraham Lincoln ‘with unclear intent’ in lead-up to expected US-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear programmeThe US military says it shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraf…

Read More US shoots down Iranian drone flying towards aircraft carrier, navy says
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | World news

Time to talk? Inside the 6 February Guardian Weekly
ByIsobel Montgomery February 3, 2026

Will Tehran and Washington find common ground? Plus: Inside the Epstein files• Get the Guardian Weekly delivered to your home addressHave Donald Trump’s hard talk and the arrival of a strike-ready flotilla finally made Tehran blink? It certainly seemed…

Read More Time to talk? Inside the 6 February Guardian Weekly
Aid | Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Europe | France | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestine | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Society | World news

French magistrate reportedly summons two French-Israelis over ‘complicity in genocide’
ByJon Henley and Emma Graham-Harrison February 3, 2026

Nili Kupfer-Naouri and Rachel Touitou said to be accused of trying to block delivery of humanitarian aid to GazaA French investigating magistrate has issued summonses to two French-Israeli nationals in relation to “complicity in genocide” over allegati…

Read More French magistrate reportedly summons two French-Israelis over ‘complicity in genocide’
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel-Gaza war | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestine | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | World news

Gaza: Rafah crossing reopens under Israeli restrictions – The Latest
By February 3, 2026

A small number of Palestinians from Gaza have started crossing into Egypt for medical treatment after Israel allowed a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing. It had been largely closed since Israeli troops seized it in May 2024, cutting off a …

Read More Gaza: Rafah crossing reopens under Israeli restrictions – The Latest
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel-Gaza war | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestine | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | US news | World news

Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked
ByAlex Kane of Jewish Currents February 3, 2026

The organization claims the report, which finds Israel’s denial of the right of return is a crime against humanity, is ‘paused pending further analysis and research’Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) employees who make up the organization’s entire Israel and…

Read More Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked
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Marwan Barghouti, ‘Palestine’s Mandela’, to publish book from prison
ByEmma Loffhagen February 3, 2026

Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine is a collection of writings by the Palestinian political leader, who has been held in Israeli prisons since 2002A collection of writings by the imprisoned Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti will …

Read More Marwan Barghouti, ‘Palestine’s Mandela’, to publish book from prison
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | US foreign policy | US news | World news

War, a Trump-imposed deal or internal regime collapse: for Tehran, none of the options are good | Sanam Vakil
BySanam Vakil February 3, 2026

Iran’s leaders now face unprecedented peril. The regime has lost its footing, and the global mechanisms to avoid conflict no longer workDr Sanam Vakil is the director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programmeForty-seven years on from th…

Read More War, a Trump-imposed deal or internal regime collapse: for Tehran, none of the options are good | Sanam Vakil
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Protest | World news

Music and dancing signify defiance at celebratory funerals of Iran’s protesters
ByRobert Tait and Deepa Parent February 3, 2026

Euphoric scenes are a snub to theocracy’s culture of piety, say analysts, and carry message of rebellion Iranians killed in recent protests that rocked the country have been laid to rest in boisterous funerals featuring loud pop music and dancing, app…

Read More Music and dancing signify defiance at celebratory funerals of Iran’s protesters
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Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
ByIan Mayes February 3, 2026

In spring 2003, exuberance at the fall of Saddam was swiftly followed by a descent into deadly chaos. Whether moving independently or embedded with troops, Guardian reporters witnessed the violence on the groundThe allied attack on Iraq began on 20 Mar…

Read More Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war