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Middle East crisis live: Trump changes strait of Hormuz plan again as Rubio says US offensive is ‘over’

In Lebanon, the Israeli military has ordered people in 12 southern towns and villages to flee their homes as its bombing campaign continues unabated. In a social media post, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged people to move at least a kilometre from their homes “to open areas”. Most of the towns and villages are located north of the Litani River, south of which the IDF has stationed its troops. Adraee said the IDF was “compelled to act” against what he described as Hezbollah’s ceasefire violations. More than a million people in Lebanon have been internally displaced as a result of the war.

Wednesday briefing: How Trump’s attempt to reopen to strait of Hormuz brought war closer again

Good morning. Uncertainty once again reigns in the Middle East. The uneasy ceasefire between the US and Iran threatened to disintegrate after Donald Trump launched an initiative – dubbed “Project Freedom” – to help thousands of sailors stranded in the Gulf by the war to pass through the strait of Hormuz. To Iran, the announcement was a cynical provocation. Flurries of fighting restarted as Iran sought to maintain its grip on the critical passageway out of the region. However overnight, the US president declared via social media that his project had been “paused for a short period of time” to see if an agreement with Iran could be finalised, but added that the blockade of ports would remain in place. For today’s First Edition, I spoke with Julian Borger, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent, about Trump’s strategy and the likelihood of a return to war. But first, this morning’s headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Zack Polanski falsely claimed to be a spokesperson for the British Red Cross while campaigning for the Green party leadership, the charity has said. Fuel shortages| Two million airline seats have been cut from this month’s schedules as airlines redraw their operations because of soaring jet fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict. UK news| A British crew member who became ill after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on luxury cruise ship the MV Hondius is to be medically evacuated, officials have said. Tax | An increased windfall tax should be imposed on the UK’s largest banks, say trade union leaders, after the big four lenders reported almost £14bn in first-quarter profits, partly fuelled by market turbulence amid the Iran war. Society | People from black backgrounds in England are twice as likely to experience strokes as their white counterparts, while also being less likely to receive timely care, according to the largest study of its kind. In depth: ‘Iran’s strength is its ability to keep the strait closed’ Since the conflict began in late February, an estimated 20,000 sailors have been trapped in the Gulf, unable to pass through the strait of Hormuz into the open ocean. Concerns about their physical and mental health are growing as they face the prospect of enduring a blistering Middle Eastern summer while at anchor waiting for peace. Food and essential supplies are feared to be running low on some trapped vessels. On Sunday, Trump announced the launch of Project Freedom, a presidential initiative, which would see the stranded 850 vessels pass through the southern section of the strait of Hormuz under the protection of the US military. Trump presented the plan as a humanitarian endeavour “meant to free people, companies, and countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong – they are victims of circumstance” in a post on Truth Social. But Iran did not buy it. They have imposed a blockade on foreign shipping since US-Israeli attacks on 28 February – and maintaining the closure is a key part of their negotiating position. Iran fired missiles at the UAE – a reminder to the world that a return to war is close. In a spate of claims and counterclaims, the US military said that they had destroyed six Iranian small boats carrying missiles and drones. Both sides appear keen to avoid a return to fighting. On Tuesday, the US’s top general Dan Caine clarified that Iran had not broken the ceasefire despite clashes over the strait. Now the US has backed down on the effort to guide stranded ships out – for now. Posting on Truth Social late on Tuesday, Trump said he had made the decision based “on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran”. But unease remains, with no direct response yet from Iran and a lack of clarity over whether Trump could reinstate his latest mission. And observers fear another round of violence is not far away. *** A desperate situation Trump’s Project Freedom was aimed at undermining Iran’s capacity to maintain its blockade of the strait, says Julian Borger. “ Iran’s strength is its ability to keep the strait closed – and if that gets challenged then that’s an important card that Iran would have lost. That’s why it’s so important for them to keep it closed,” he says. “Even though Iran is being careful not to engage with the US navy directly, it is keen to keep up a sense of threat around going through the strait.” Just two vessels passed through the strait during Trump’s short-lived project. The US route passes through Emirati and Omani waters, which are more difficult to navigate through than the Iranian side of the passage due to coral reefs and other hazards. But the sheer length of time that ships have been stranded in the Gulf means that some will probably risk the route, says Julian. “For shipowners and crews, you’ve got to remember how desperate they are. They have been stuck there for weeks and weeks with no end in sight, so it is tempting for some to at least try to get out,” he says. “The owners will be watching to see what happens with the first trickle of ships.” *** Military v government After the initiative was announced, a South Korean flagged vessel was struck by what President Trump said was an Iranian attack, and missiles were fired at the UAE by Iran. The Iranians later apologised – but the volley highlights the challenge of convincing shipowners that it is safe to pass through the strait, especially with Iran’s decentralised military doctrine, which permits its military commanders significant freedom to operate independently of its country’s rulers. “Before the war, part of Iran’s defence doctrine was based on the expectation that their leadership would get decapitated. So, local commanders were given a lot of leeway in how they chose to carry out their operations and could inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible,” says Julian. “In a delicate situation like this, it’s difficult for the decentralised Iranian system to collaborate as much as they might want. This might be the reason you had those strikes on the UAE and then an expression of regret.” Markets were unconvinced by the move from Trump, with oil hovering about $115 a barrel. The Taco trade (“Trump always chickens out”) has been replaced by the Nacho trade (Not a chance Hormuz opens), according to Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas – and right now it appears both may be true. *** An alternative to war Despite the signalling from both Iran and the US that neither are keen to return to fighting, the game of chicken around the strait could easily lead to the end of the ceasefire, says Julian. The US has been resupplying its forces in the region, which includes guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea based aircraft, drones and about 15,000 troops. On Monday, Trump said Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if vessels taking part in Project Freedom were attacked. “It definitely brings us closer to a return to fighting. Iran is in a difficult situation. It wants to keep the air of threat to dissuade shipping, but it does not want to go back to war. On the other hand, nor does Trump. Last week, he was given options by American military commanders which included a return to full-scale war or naval escorts. He chose the most cautious option, which is Project Freedom. But they are prepared to go back to war,” he says. What else we’ve been reading Brazil has been caught up in a whirlwind of whistling WhatsApp groups, where you aren’t allowed to communicate in any other form. Tiago Rogero reports. Martin The Guardian’s editor-in-chief Kath Viner has written an essay on how to survive the information crisis in the modern world – and how our journalism is responding to it. Patrick Francesc Planes interviews members of Gen Z in Peckham and finds out what gives them confidence in their looks. Martin Devi Sridhar has written about an exciting new study into the health benefits of eating earlier in the day. Patrick I don’t recall being anxious about whether my children were going to be boys or girls, but Imogen Crimp recalls finding out she was having a boy as a moment that changed her. Martin Sport Football | Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal edged Arsenal past Atlético Madrid to reach the Champions League final with a 2-1 aggregate victory. Tennis | Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the Italian Open with a post-viral illness, minutes after holding a positive pre-tournament press conference. Golf | Jon Rahm has reached a deal with the DP World Tour that will see him retain his membership and remain eligible for the 2027 Ryder Cup. The front pages “Labour under pressure after UK borrowing costs hit 28-year high,” is the splash on the Guardian today. “Long-term borrowing costs highest in decades as prolonged inflation looms,” says the FT. The i paper leads with “Millions face flight cancellations as jet fuel shortage deepens and Iran ceasefire falters”, while the Sun focuses on the same issue, opting for the headline: “Come cry with me”. “New powers to treat Iran proxies as foreign spies” says the Times, while the Metro has “A target on the back of UK Iran critics”. “Thirty Green candidates probed over antisemitism,” says the Mail. The Telegraph has “Starmer could cost us the election, says Welsh leader,” while the Mirror carries a plea to voters from the prime minister: “We’re still only ones on your side.” Finally the Star with “Tale of the vape”, on Angela Rayner kicking the habit. Today in Focus Is Europe ready for a future without the US? – podcast Trump has threatened to pull 5,000 troops from Germany – while European leaders worry this is just the start of a US withdrawal from the continent. Deborah Cole discusses whether Europe is really ready to defend itself alone. Cartoon of the day | Ella Baron The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad France is offering €1 meals to all university students – a move described by higher education minister Philippe Baptiste as “a small internal revolution” in tackling hardship. The subsidised three-course lunches, previously limited to those on low incomes, are now available to everyone. For one student, the impact is immediate: “I come here 20 times a month. That’s about €60. Whereas now, I’ll pay €20,” freeing up money for “going out or eating at a restaurant”. With nearly half of students reporting having skipped meals for financial reasons, the policy aims to ensure fewer go hungry. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Singapore introduces caning for boys who bully others at school

Male school students who bully others, including through cyberbullying, will face caning as a “last resort” under new guidelines introduced in Singapore. Male students can face up to three strokes of the cane under the new rules, which were discussed in parliament on Tuesday. International groups such as Unicef, the UN’s agency for children, oppose the use of corporal punishment for children, saying it harms their physical and mental health, and increases behavioural problems over time. The education minister, Desmond Lee, told lawmakers that caning would only be applied “if all the other measures are inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct”. “They follow strict protocols to ensure safety for the student. For instance, caning must be approved by the principal and administered only by authorised teachers,” he said. “Schools will consider factors such as the maturity of the student and if caning will help the student learn from his mistake and understand the gravity of what he has done.” The measures follow a year-long review that focused on bullying, and come after several high-profile school bullying incidents drew public attention last year. Caning will only be used as a punishment for male students in upper primary levels (age 9-12 years) and above, said Lee, who pointed to the country’s criminal procedure code, which prohibits the caning of women. After the caning is imposed, the school would “monitor the student’s wellbeing and progress”, including providing counselling, Lee said. Female students, he said, would receive punishments “such as detention and/or suspension, adjustment of their conduct grade and other school-based consequences”. Judicial caning, first introduced by British colonialists in the 19th century, continues to be used in Singapore for male offenders under 50. This includes crimes such as robbery, scamming or overstaying a visa by 90 days. A report released by the World Health Organization last year said that corporal punishment remained “alarmingly widespread” globally, adding that it caused significant harm to children’s health and development. Globally, an estimated 1.2 billion children aged 0-18 years are subjected to corporal punishment at home each year, according to WHO.

Palestinian ambassador protests to Foreign Office over ’erasure’ by British Museum

The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has called for Foreign Office intervention after the British Museum removed references to Palestine from its exhibits. The UK recognised the state of Palestine in September 2025, but the same year the museum removed the name “Palestine” from a panel listing the present-day countries encompassed by the ancient Levant, and replaced it with Gaza and the West Bank. The ambassador, Husam Zomlot, has demanded its restoration, and called for discussions with the museum over the removal of “Palestine” and “Palestinian” from the explanatory panels of a number of exhibits in the ancient Levant and Egyptian rooms. Zomlot said it was a historical “erasure” at a time when Israel was conducting a campaign of destruction against Palestinians that several human rights organisations and a report by a UN independent commission have deemed is a genocide. Israel has removed archaeological relics from the occupied Palestinian territories, and in September last year bombed the most important storage depot of ancient artefacts in Gaza City, pulverising three decades of archaeological work. Zomlot was invited to meet the museum’s director, Nicholas Cullinan, and some of its curators on 24 March but said he was given no undertaking the changes would be reversed. Instead, he was offered a tour of the museum, which he turned down. “In the absence of corrective action, or a clear commitment to address the issues identified, it would not have been appropriate to engage further in a manner that could be interpreted as an endorsement of the current presentation,” Zomlot wrote to Cullinan on 9 April, in a letter seen by the Guardian and New Lines Magazine. The ambassador added he was ready to continue discussions and would welcome a tour “once the necessary corrections have been made”. The British Museum said in a statement: “We have not removed the term ‘Palestine’ from displays and continue to refer to it across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic, and on our website.” This appeared to conflict with the photographic proof of changes, and earlier remarks attributed to the museum. The name Palestine does remain on some exhibits, such as maps of the ancient Middle East in the Egypt room. Since the March meeting, Zomlot has appealed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office to intervene. The British Museum is publicly funded but run by an independent board of trustees, chaired by the former conservative chancellor, George Osborne. The ambassador hopes, however, that the UK government will persuade the museum to align with its own recognition of Palestine. “I sent a letter to the minister in charge in the Foreign Office, and we are waiting for [a response]” Zomlot said. “For me, this is not only a political issue. This is not only a legal issue. This is not even just a historical issue. This is an existential issue. Because erasing our past is erasing our present.” A British government spokesperson said: “Museums and galleries in the UK operate independently of the government, which means that decisions relating to the management of their collections are a matter for their trustees.” The British Museum has yet to explain the changes, which became widely known only after the Telegraph reported on 14 February that they had been made following concerns by a pressure group, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI). UKLFI said it had sent a letter to Cullinan arguing that “several maps and descriptions retroactively apply the term ‘Palestine’ to periods in which no such entity existed and risk obscuring the history of Israel and the Jewish people”. The changes to the exhibits however, predated the UKLFI letter. Cullinan reportedly saw the letter only after the Telegraph story was published. The museum has not explained its reasoning. UKLFI quoted the museum as telling the group: “Audience testing has shown that the historic use of the term Palestine … is in some circumstances no longer meaningful.” The word “Palestinian” has been replaced by “Canaanite” in a panel about the Hyksos rulers of Egypt from the 18th to the 16th centuries BC, while mention of Palestine and the Philistines has been removed from a text about the Phoenicians, who the new text says were “locally known as “Canaanites”. Scholars of the ancient world have generally been sceptical about the need for a change. Canaan is mentioned frequently in the Bible but in few other contemporary inscriptions from the late bronze age, and when it is, it is usually used to refer to a variety of people and places along what is now the Levantine coast. Peleset, which is believed to be the root of the name Palestine, appears in inscriptions in Egypt from the 12th century BC referring to a community in the Southern Levant. Before that, the most common names for the region were Djahi and Retenu. There are also later inscriptions mentioning Israel, and the kingdom of Judah is mentioned on a monument dating to the ninth century BC. Both kingdoms survived for several centuries in the iron age, alongside the five city states of “Philistia”, including Gaza, which are frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Scholars say that Philistia or Palestine was the name which stuck through the centuries that followed and variants were used by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans and persisted into the modern age. “The decision to remove Palestine has nothing to do with historical accuracy,” Marchella Ward, a lecturer in classical studies at the Open University, said. “It’s no less accurate than any other term. In fact, given that it’s used so frequently in historical sources rather than in biblical sources, one might say it’s more accurate than other terms.” The picture is confused by the fact that people in ancient times did not think in terms of nationalities, and the terms outsiders used to refer to a certain people or place may have nothing to do with what those people called themselves or their homeland. Josephine Quinn, professor of ancient history at Cambridge University, argued that it was futile and distorting to portray names used thousands of years ago in the Middle East as relevant to what should happen now. Quinn said: “The worrying thing for me is the idea that it matters, that ancient categories have any direct relevance to politics today, or that they can justify or excuse genocide in the contemporary world.”

Gibraltar dumping all of its raw sewage into Mediterranean

Raw sewage from nearly 40,000 people and businesses is being pumped straight into the sea because the British overseas territory of Gibraltar does not have, and has never had, a wastewater treatment plant. For decades, untreated sewage has poured into the Mediterranean from the southern tip of the peninsula at Europa Point, where the government of Gibraltar says there are “high levels of natural dispersion”. The area is supposed to be protected for wildlife but often there are “wet wipes and plastic pollution entangled in algae and all over the rocks”, said Lewis Stagnetto, of the Nautilus Project, a local environmental charity. Raw sewage pollution can trigger toxic algal blooms that strip oxygen from the water, choking aquatic life. It exposes fish and mammals to a cocktail of chemicals and plastics that can disrupt reproduction and damage health, and puts people at risk by spreading pathogens and antibiotic-resistant genes. Unlike Britain, Gibraltar’s sewerage system uses seawater, and drinking water comes from desalination. The Gibraltar government says the salinity “historically created challenges that are not present in other wastewater treatment plants around the world”. It also claims that wet wipes “that appear occasionally on our beaches have … come from outlets in nearby Spain”. In 2017, the European court of justice ruled that the UK was in breach of wastewater law by failing to treat Gibraltar’s sewage, but the European Commission lost any power to take action after Brexit. Attempts to fix the problem have repeatedly collapsed. In 2018, Gibraltar’s government awarded a contract to a joint venture between NWG Commercial Services (Northumbrian Water) and Modern Water to design, build and operate a treatment plant, only for the deal to fall apart after a Modern Water subsidiary went into liquidation. “This had a significant impact on the delivery of this vital project,” a Gibraltar government spokesperson said. Preliminary talks with the European Investment Bank also “fell through as a direct result of the UK leaving the European Union”, they added. In June 2025, the Gibraltar government awarded a 25-year contract to Eco Waters to build a wastewater treatment plant at Europa Point. Advanced works have begun on the design and geotechnical aspects of the plant and a planning application was submitted in March 2026. Northumbrian Water, which partnered with the government from 2003 until 2024 through a joint venture called AquaGib, was keen to distance itself from the sewage failures. It said operations “centred on the provision of drinking water” and that it was not responsible for day-to-day operations. “Northumbrian Water was never responsible in any way for wastewater operations in Gibraltar,” a spokesperson said. Its “involvement was as a shareholder and strategic partner, not as the operator or regulator. All decisions in relation to wastewater management were taken by the government of Gibraltar.” AquaGib said it operated a number of pumping stations that pump sewage from low-lying areas into Gibraltar’s main sewer but it “is not responsible for the main sewer or any wastewater treatment”. The sewer itself appears to be in poor shape. Last year, the opposition Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) party described “popular tourist hotspot areas … embarrassingly subjected to the stench of raw sewage”, with waste “directly seeping through the city walls … causing damage to the marine ecosystem”. The government blamed decades of underinvestment for the problem, including years when the GSD held power. The government said there was an “ongoing major project to lay new sewerage mains in phases: a £15m investment in Gibraltar’s sewer infrastructure” as well as “various relining projects which … have resulted in the main sewer being reinforced and improved within the city walls”. As for the beaches, the government said: “Bacteriological water quality is routinely measured in all of Gibraltar’s beaches … and the latest results indicate that all bathing areas in Gibraltar attain excellent bathing water quality.” Last year, England’s water companies released untreated sewage into rivers, lakes and seas nearly 300,000 times, despite having wastewater treatment plants in place. Hugo Tagholm, the director of the charity Oceana UK, said: “The public are outraged that our rivers and seas are treated as a dumping ground. It’s an environmental and economic injustice, with the fingerprints of big business all over it. “The government must get its act together at home and abroad – our seas need proper protection from sewage and plastic pollution. It’s high time they end the outrage and stop the pumping of untreated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea.”

‘Stuck in the mud’: one year on, Friedrich Merz struggles to find his footing

Friedrich Merz’s first steps as German chancellor proved to be a stumble and, one year on, he is still struggling to find his footing at the helm of Europe’s top economy and most populous country, with support at historic lows and the far right poised to pounce. The conservative Christian Democrat took office on 6 May 2025 after a humiliating loss in the first round of voting in parliament. It raised doubts, right from the start, about the stability of his coalition government with the Social Democrats. Lawmakers formally elect the chancellor after a general election, and it is typically assumed they will rubber-stamp the new government’s chosen candidate. Mystery still lingers about the identity of the 18 unnamed rebels in the secret ballot who denied Merz his majority, but it set the tone for an administration marred by crises, gaffes, outbursts and mistrust. “The cart is certainly stuck in the mud,” Merz biographer Daniel Goffart said this week, summing up a sense of strategic helplessness by the government in the face of compounding emergencies and intractable conflicts at home and abroad. A recent survey for US-based opinion research institute Morning Consult found Merz to have the second-lowest approval rating of 24 democratically elected world leaders, with just 19% of Germans saying they are satisfied with his work. Senior aides privately say that Merz’s record unpopularity for a postwar chancellor is unfair given the size of the challenges he has had to face – from an often hostile Donald Trump to deindustrialisation in crucial sectors and, since the war in Iran, surging fuel prices. They blame negative media coverage for driving a narrative of dysfunction and paralysis, and cite achievements including cutting new asylum applications by more than half, making big investments in defence and infrastructure, and addressing chronic shortages in the country’s armed forces in response to the threat posed by Russia. However, critics say persistent rivalries and tensions within the government, combined with Merz’s communication style being erratic at times, have undermined a sense of common purpose given the enormous challenges facing Germany. The chancellor has repeatedly caused anxiety or offence with offhand comments meant to set him apart from the cautious approach of his two predecessors, Olaf Scholz and Merz’s longtime rival Angela Merkel, on issues ranging from immigration and work to the future of the pension system. “Merz is an impulsive guy, sometimes emotional,” Goffart said. “That can be refreshing but not always. And at the age of 70, it is probably not going to change.” Late last month, Merz, who has prided himself on keeping the lines of communication to Trump open with flattery and pragmatism, stunned observers with an unvarnished critique of the US-led war in Iran to a classroom full of school pupils. The blunt comments triggered a spat with the White House that soon threatened to turn into a historic rupture, with an angry Trump announcing a drawdown of at least 5,000 US troops stationed in Germany as well as punishing new trade penalties on European cars. The vast majority of voters have dwindling faith that the coalition can revive the struggling economy, rescue a car industry under siege from Trump’s tariffs and Chinese competition, and recalibrate a social welfare system facing a looming demographic crunch. Political commentator Nils Minkmar drew parallels with Timmy the wayward whale, a massive once-mighty but now slowly dying creature, and the quixotic efforts to rescue it: “A symbol for the whole country.” “I have rarely seen a federal government as clueless as the Black-Red coalition in the face of Trump’s war on Iran,” he said, in reference to the governing parties’ colours. Just as the suffering humpback was towed to the Atlantic “where – according to the miracle-belief surrounding the whale – it will then wave at the cameras as fit as Flipper”, Minkmar said, “so parts of the Union [Merz’s conservatives] want to steer the whole republic back to some golden age” using incremental measures such as petrol rebates and taxation tweaks. “None of this will work,” he said. “There are enough people in the coalition parties who know better, but everyone is sitting on the fence. No one dares to come out of hiding. So Europe’s largest economy lies waiting on the sandbank. We are Timmy.” Political consultant Johannes Hillje said Merz’s lack of previous experience as a head of government had exposed key skill gaps, while his promises as a former business executive to ignite a quick economic recovery had fizzled. “Merz’s premiership is suffering because his personal shortcomings in communication and management are compounded by a structural crisis in the country, the resolution of which requires, above all, sound management and effective communication,” Hillje said. “No one would claim that this leader faces easy tasks, but by making relatively simple mistakes he is making the job of governing even harder than it already is.” Asking Germans to tighten their belts and make sacrifices now for their children’s and grandchildren’s future prosperity had to be matched with trust that Merz and his vice-chancellor, Social Democrat Lars Klingbeil, had not yet earned, Hillje said. “Tough measures need to be backed by a vision that is broader and more appealing than a single painful reform. Such a vision is clearly lacking. Merz needs to incorporate more explanation and empathy into his communication.” Despite the repeated setbacks, however, Goffart dismissed doomsday rhetoric about the government, even in the face of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, which is leading in several polls but kept from power with a “firewall” maintained by mainstream parties. Despite frequent clashes, Goffart said the ruling parties appeared committed to sticking it out, also to thwart the disaster of a government collapse which the AfD could exploit in new elections. “For better or for worse, they are a bit chained together,” he said of the coalition partners, dismissing speculation that Merz would give up on the alliance in favour of a minority government, potentially propped up with AfD support. Merz would be unable to form a majority with any other party but the Social Democrats, Goffart added, even if their poll numbers currently fall short: “They all know that even if they bicker and get fed up, there is no alternative and that focuses minds.”

‘If he didn’t do it, who did?’: fresh doubts over 2007 murder case that gripped Italy

A suspect in a case that has captivated Italy for almost 19 years has been summoned for questioning by prosecutors, in a development that could expose one of the country’s most significant miscarriages of justice and free the person who has spent more than a decade in prison for the crime. Andrea Sempio is accused of killing Chiara Poggi, a 26-year-old economics graduate, at her home in Garlasco, a small town close to Milan in northern Italy, on 13 August 2007, allegedly because she rejected his sexual advances. Sempio, who has denied all allegations against him, is expected to appear before prosecutors in Pavia on Wednesday. However, his lawyers have said in a statement to the Italian press that he “will exercise his right to remain silent” owing to the investigation not yet being concluded. Prosecutors reopened the murder case last year, placing Sempio, who was friends with Poggi’s brother Marco, under investigation after fresh tests on traces of DNA found under her fingernails were compatible with his. It was initially suggested that Sempio might have allegedly carried out Poggi’s murder with others, potentially including her boyfriend at the time, Alberto Stasi, who was convicted of the crime in 2015 – after twice being acquitted – and is serving a 16-year sentence. But prosecutors now claim that Sempio, who is formally charged with voluntary manslaughter and aggravating circumstances of cruelty, killed Poggi by himself, allegedly striking her head and face with a blunt object at least 12 times. They are now moving to have Stasi’s conviction overturned. Described as the “delitto di Garlasco”, or Garlasco murder, the complex case and all its twists and turns has been consistently pored over by the Italian media for years, dominating crime talkshows and, more recently, podcasts. It was Stasi, at the time a 24-year-old university student, who found Poggi’s body lying in a pool of blood on the staircase of her family home. Police immediately identified him as the prime suspect, arguing that his shoes were far too clean for someone who had just chanced upon her body. They believed he must have washed his shoes after murdering her. Detectives claimed Poggi knew her killer because she opened the door of her home in her pyjamas. No murder weapon has ever been found. Stasi was tried and acquitted twice, only to then be convicted on circumstantial evidence, including traces of Poggi’s DNA found on the wheels of a bike belonging to his family. The 42-year-old has always maintained his innocence, but has divided public opinion. Giada Bocellari, one of Stasi’s lawyers, said: “Alberto was ultimately convicted not so much because of the evidence, but because of the fundamental question posed in this trial: if he didn’t do it, then who did? Since there are no reasonable alternatives, it must have been him.” A previous investigation into Sempio was shelved in 2017 because prosecutors at the time deemed the evidence against him was insufficient. Alongside the latest investigation, Sempio’s father and a Pavia prosecutor are under scrutiny for an alleged exchange of bribes aimed at getting the case dropped. Both have denied the allegations. Prosecutors are planning to close their investigation soon, with Sempio most probably facing trial. “This is definitely a unique case in Italy,” said Bocellari. “Now we’re waiting for the investigation to conclude and to get the complete picture of [all the evidence] regarding Sempio so that we can, above all, see if there are any elements that definitively remove Stasi from the crime. “We are being prudent … but this could potentially be the most serious miscarriage of justice ever committed in Italy. As far as I know, it is the first time a [murder] investigation has been reopened with a convicted person in prison.” Lawyers for Sempio declined to be interviewed on Tuesday. With many errors made at the start of the initial investigation, Poggi’s killing is reminiscent of the murder of Meredith Kercher, the 21-year-old British exchange student who was found stabbed to death at her home in the Umbrian city of Perugia in November 2007, months after Poggi was killed. American Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito, spent four years in prison after initially being convicted of Kercher’s murder. They were both definitively acquitted in 2015. Rudy Guede, a third person convicted of complicity in the murder, was released from prison in 2021 after serving 13 years of a 16-year sentence. As with Kercher, Poggi has been forgotten amid “the media circus”, Bocellari said. However, her family has been against the reopening of the case. “The Poggi family is completely aligned with the Italian justice system, in that the final verdict is that Stasi is the culprit,” said Gianluca Zanella, a journalist and author of a book about the case, Nel Sangue di Garlasco. “They are sceptical about new investigations.” On more than one occasion, some lawyers involved in the case have been told not to speak to the press or post on social media, or at least exercise restraint, but that has hardly been adhered to, even more so since the investigation was reopened. “This is the first [murder] case in Italy that has seen the active involvement of the likes of YouTube channels and informal information outside of traditional media,” said Zanella. “We then risk finding ourselves with an innocent person in jail or a victim who has not received full justice.” After the case was reopened, Stasi was given “semi-freedom” from prison, allowing him to leave for work during the day before returning to his cell at night. Even if his conviction is overturned, the process towards that outcome will be lengthy, and it will be difficult for him to shake it off. “He will always carry the mark of a murderer for many people, regardless of how things go,” said Zanella.

US petrol prices hit highest level in years – as it happened

This blog is closed but you can read our full report on the Iran war and wider Middle East crisis here. Here’s the main news of the day: President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening said he has paused ‘Project Freedom’ – the effort to guide stranded commercial vessels from the strait of Hormuz – in order to finalise a deal with Iran to end the war. Trump also said the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue. He announced the decision in a social media post Tuesday evening. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran is yet to comment on Trump’s statement. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said earlier that major US military operations against Iran are over. He said Iran must agree to US demands on its nuclear program and reopen the strait. Rubio said recent clashes with Iran related to US efforts to reopen the strait were “defensive in nature”. While Rubio was speaking, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a cargo vessel had been struck by a projectile in the strait. Further details of the incident were not immediately available. The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said earlier on Tuesday that the US had successfully secured a path through the waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass through. The four-week-old truce with Iran was not over, he added. UN Security Council members began closed talks on Tuesday on a text the US drafted with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, which, if it were to pass, could lead to sanctions against Iran, and potentially authorise force, if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping. Fresh exchanges of fire on Monday underscored the stakes as the US and Iran struggle for control of the narrow waterway, shaking a fragile four-week-old truce and reinforcing rival maritime blockades. For a second consecutive day, the United Arab Emirates said its air defences had shot down missiles and drones from Iran. Tehran did not immediately comment. Clashes have continued between Hezbollah and Israel. Israel’s military said late Tuesday that Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon had launched “several rockets” toward Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. No injuries were reported. The US national average retail price of gasoline surpassed $4.50 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time since July 2022, data from GasBuddy showed.