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The threat of bombing Iran back to the 'stone ages' by US President Donald Trump has raised concerns about the morality, legality, and utility of such a campaign. In 2006, Israel bombed Lebanon's Jiyeh power station, causing a massive oil spill and significant damage. However, this did not prevent Hezbollah from rearming and continuing to fight. Similarly, Russia's sustained bombardment of Ukraine has not forced the country to concede. History has shown that bombing campaigns, including the British 'area bombing' of Germany in World War II and the US Rolling Thunder campaign against North Vietnam, have not always achieved their desired outcomes. Experts argue that bombing Iran's infrastructure would not change the regime's strategic calculus and would likely give the Iranian government a powerful propaganda tool. The US lacks a credible military option to force Iran into submission, and pressure alone may not be enough to break Tehran. The effectiveness of bombing campaigns in achieving war objectives is highly contested. The article cites the example of the British bomber command's promise to bring about the collapse of Germany within four months, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. Trump's threat to bomb Iran's infrastructure has been met with skepticism by experts, who argue that it is unlikely to achieve its desired outcome and may instead escalate the situation.

JP Morgan Chase has secured approval from London City Airport to build one of Europe's tallest office towers in the east of the capital. The planned £3bn tower, set to be the tallest in the Canary Wharf financial district, will serve as JP Morgan's new UK headquarters.The two sides have agreed that the tower could be 265 meters tall, approximately 30 meters taller than One Canada Square, currently the tallest building in Canary Wharf. The new building will span 279,000 sq meters (3 million sq ft) and house more than half of JP Morgan's 23,000 UK staff.Any new developments within 10km of the airport are considered to be within its 'area of interest', requiring consultation with airport officials to ensure new buildings do not interfere with aircraft movements. Following the conclusion of talks with City airport, JP Morgan is finalizing the tower designs and will soon apply for planning permission.The project is expected to add almost £10bn to the UK economy over six years and create about 7,800 construction-related jobs. Questions are being raised about the financial inducements JP Morgan has sought from the UK government, including a discount on business rates, despite the bank's $57bn (£43bn) net income in 2025.The Treasury has proposed a discount on rates of 'up to 100%' over 'a period of years', potentially representing a saving of hundreds of millions of pounds. The site would generate up to £1.6bn in rates over 25 years if there were no discount.

Israel’s military issued a stark advisory to Iranians early Tuesday, urging them to avoid all train travel across the country from 8:50 am to 9:00 pm Iran time. The warning, posted in Farsi on social media, warned that anyone near railway lines or stations could become a target as Israel prepared to strike infrastructure. The advisory comes just hours before the U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum expires at 8 pm ET on Tuesday (1 am GMT Wednesday). Trump has repeatedly threatened to “take out” Iran’s bridges and power plants in a single night, a claim he reiterated at a White House press briefing on Monday. Iran rejected a cease‑fire proposal brokered by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey, insisting on a permanent end to the war and presenting a 10‑point counter‑proposal that the U.S. deemed insufficient. Legal experts have warned that indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime, a concern dismissed by the Trump administration. On the diplomatic front, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X that over 14 million Iranians are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the nation, underscoring the high domestic stakes. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that Monday would see the “largest volume of strikes” on Iran, with Tuesday expected to see even more attacks as the deadline approached. According to Iranian media, Israel struck Khorramabad airport in western Iran, while Israeli forces also hit a petrochemical plant in Shiraz and a ballistic‑missile launch site in the northwest. The United States reportedly deployed B‑2 stealth bombers that dropped 30,000‑lb GBU‑57 “bunker buster” bombs on an IRGC compound in Tehran, the same munitions used in the June attack on the Fordow nuclear site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his security cabinet that the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon would continue independently of the U.S.–Iran negotiations, describing a “separation of theatres.” In a related development, a missile strike hit a petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia’s eastern city of Jubail, forcing an evacuation of workers. Israel reported multiple missile impacts in the Tel Aviv area, claiming Iran launched ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads, though no casualties were confirmed. Amid the heightened tension, Brent crude rose marginally to just above $110 a barrel in morning trading, reflecting market anxiety over potential disruptions to Middle‑East oil supplies.

Majdi Aslan, a 54‑year‑old WHO driver, was killed on Monday when Israeli troops opened fire on a vehicle carrying World Health Organization staff in eastern Khan Younis. Several other passengers, including a WHO doctor, sustained injuries.The incident occurred near the so‑called yellow line on Salah al‑Din Street, an area that has seen near‑daily Israeli strikes since a fragile ceasefire was brokered in October. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in the renewed wave of violence.According to Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, Israeli forces fired indiscriminately at people and vehicles traveling along the road. A civilian commercial vehicle was followed by a car transporting WHO personnel; the WHO driver was hit in the head and later pronounced dead at Al‑Aqsa Hospital, while roughly seven others were wounded.WHO did not immediately confirm the victim’s employment but issued a statement saying a “critical security incident” had occurred and that medical evacuations from Gaza via the Rafah crossing were suspended with immediate effect. The organization has been coordinating limited patient transfers through Rafah since the crossing reopened earlier this year.The suspension comes as Israel continues to restrict humanitarian aid entry and has repeatedly closed the Rafah crossing, especially as the broader U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran draws international focus. The halt threatens the already strained access to life‑saving treatment for thousands of injured Palestinians.Elsewhere on Monday, a Palestinian man with special needs was killed by Israeli soldiers in southern Khan Younis, a drone strike in Gaza City claimed a 36‑year‑old civilian, and two more Palestinians died in drone attacks on the Yarmouk and Shujayea neighborhoods. Hospital sources say eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes outside areas under Israeli control since Sunday.

Yemen's civilians are bracing for the worst as the country's Houthi rebels have entered the war against Iran, sparking fears of a new chapter of suffering in a nation already grappling with a critical humanitarian situation. The involvement of the Houthis, who control the capital city of Sanaa, has raised concerns among locals about potential Israeli retaliation, which could trigger displacement, fuel shortages, and inflation. Yasser, a 45-year-old ice cream shop owner in Sanaa, expressed his worries about the impact on his business and family. “The moment Israel begins its military response to the Houthis, we will lose the little comfort we have today. Fear, price hikes, and fuel shortages will suffocate us. The end of the conflict is unpredictable,” he said. The Houthis' decision to enter the war has been met with a mix of fear and support from civilians. While some, like Ammar Ahmed, a 28-year-old taxi driver, are worried about the safety of their families and the potential for Israeli attacks on residential areas, others, like Mohammed Ali, a 26-year-old university graduate, have expressed their support for the Houthi leadership and their faith in their ability to withstand the conflict. Economists warn that Yemen's already crippled economy would decline further if the country becomes a new front in the widening conflict in the region. Wafiq Saleh, a Yemeni economic researcher, noted that the escalation will drive up prices for essential imports, including food, fuel, and medicine, as shipping and insurance costs rise. The humanitarian situation in Yemen is already dire, with United Nations reports indicating that the escalating conflict in the wider region risks exacerbating the country's economic situation and disrupting vital humanitarian and commercial supply chains.

Ukraine's military has launched a significant drone strike on Russian energy infrastructure in the Black Sea, targeting the port of Novorossiysk. According to Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi, the overnight attack hit the Admiral Makarov missile carrier in the port, which serves as Russia's largest oil exporting outlet on the Black Sea.The attack is part of Ukraine's broader strategy to disrupt Russian energy exports and reduce Moscow's revenues. Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks, aiming to halt Russian oil exports and impact the Russian economy.Russian authorities reported that at least eight people, including two children, were injured in Novorossiysk. Videos posted on Telegram showed a fire at one of the oil port's docks. Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko stated that debris from drones had fallen on two locations in the city, including a residential area.Russia's military claimed that air defense units had downed 148 Ukrainian drones over a three-hour period. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, located in the Novorossiysk port area, exports oil from Kazakhstan and has major US oil companies, such as Chevron and ExxonMobil, as shareholders.The attack on Novorossiysk comes amid a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. On the previous day, Ukrainian drones struck Russia's Baltic Sea port of Primorsk and the NORSI oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod. These attacks are part of Ukraine's efforts to reduce Moscow's revenues from oil sales, which are crucial for the Russian economy.In response to the attacks, Russia's Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting the CPC terminal to inflict economic damage on its largest shareholders, including US and Kazakh energy companies.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have announced that they, along with their backers Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, have launched a coordinated attack on Israel. The assault involved a barrage of cruise missiles and drones aimed at several vital and military sites belonging to Israel. The attack was confirmed by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, who stated that the operation was a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. This development marks a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict, drawing in multiple actors from the region. The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been involved in the conflict since March 28, when they officially joined the war in support of Iran. They have previously targeted Israel and disrupted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as a show of solidarity with the Palestinians during the Israeli war on Gaza. In related developments, Israeli officials reported that the bodies of four people killed in an Iranian strike on a residential building in Haifa had been recovered. This comes as Israel continues to target Hezbollah in Lebanon, with recent strikes hitting Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas in the country's south. The Israeli military has been pounding Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah terror targets. On Sunday, Israel struck two Amana petrol stations controlled by Hezbollah, which served as significant financial infrastructure for the group. In south Lebanon, four people were killed in a raid on a car in Kfar Rumman. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that an Israeli attack killed a paramedic from the Hezbollah-allied Risala Scout Association on Monday. Two paramedics from the Islamic Health Committee were also killed in an Israeli strike a day earlier. The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 92 attacks on health facilities, medical vehicles, personnel, and warehouses in the region. The conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with Lebanon reporting 1,497 people killed since the war erupted, including 57 health workers. The situation remains volatile, with ongoing strikes and counter-strikes threatening to expand the conflict further.

At least ten displaced Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded, including six in critical condition, after Israeli drones launched two missiles near a school housing refugees in the central Gaza Maghazi refugee camp, health officials reported. The strike occurred amid clashes between residents and an Israeli‑backed militia that had allegedly attempted to abduct people from the school. Witnesses said the militia’s leader later claimed to have killed five Hamas members, a statement that could not be independently verified. According to Al‑Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the victims were struck east of the camp, where residents were trying to defend their homes. "The residents tried to defend their homes, but the occupation forces targeted them directly," said Ahmed al‑Maghazi to Reuters. The Maghazi camp, once one of the smallest Palestinian refugee enclaves with roughly 30,000 residents, has seen its population more than triple since the war began, according to UNRWA. Despite being designated by the Israeli military as a "safe zone," the area has suffered multiple lethal attacks, including a December 2023 strike that killed over 100 civilians, primarily women and children. Earlier on the same day, a World Health Organization (WHO) staff member was killed and several others injured when Israeli forces opened fire on a WHO vehicle, underscoring the broader risk to humanitarian personnel in the region. The latest incident highlights the fragility of ceasefire arrangements reached in October and raises urgent questions about the protection of civilians in areas purportedly shielded from conflict.

The B Corp certification, a coveted ethical status for companies, has undergone its biggest overhaul in 19 years. B Lab, the organisation behind the certification, has raised the standards required to qualify, putting dozens of companies at risk of losing their status. Previously, companies could make up for poor performance in one area by scoring highly in another. However, the new system requires companies to meet 'non-negotiable' standards in every one out of seven categories, with attainment verified by a third-party audit. The overhaul has been partly motivated by changes to EU law that require companies boasting of any ethical standard, including B Corp status, to be rubber-stamped by an external organisation. Sources familiar with the process said that some of the 10,000 companies that have the status will need to improve ethical standards to recertify, which they must do every three years. Analysis by the Guardian of the publicly available B Corp database suggests hundreds are already at, or close to, the 80-point threshold required, even under the old, less onerous system. Of more than 2,000 UK B Corps, more than 60 score exactly 80 points, including the Kent-based digital marketing agency Sleeping Giant Media and VoucherCodes, a website that provides details of discount offers from leading brands. Larger companies will face more extensive requirements under the new standard, including declaring their tax policies and setting science-based emissions targets across all areas of the business. One source said the changes could even affect companies that now score highly, such as the private bank Coutts, which has a score of 107.6 and does not have to recertify until 2028. B Lab UK said: 'Our goal is not for every business to become a B Corp, but for every business to behave like one.'