South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports that the South Korean government has received intelligence indicating a South Korean cargo vessel anchored inside the strait of Hormuz may have been struck. The government says it is verifying the report and that there are no known casualties.
Keir Starmer has acknowledged that “tensions” between Donald Trump and Europe are high as he attends a summit of the European Political Community dominated by the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. With European leaders concerned over the US president’s waning interest in the Ukraine war, the prime minister will use the summit in Armenia to begin negotiations to participate in the European Union’s loan scheme for Kyiv. Trump has also attacked traditional allies including the UK over their stance on the Iran conflict. Starmer said the damage done to economies around the world by the Middle East crisis would “play out” with electorates across Europe. As the Nato military alliance comes under intense pressure from Trump’s threats, Starmer told the summit: “We cannot deny that some of the alliances that we have come to rely on are not in the place we would want them to be. “There is more tension in the alliances than there should be and it’s very important that we therefore face up to this as a group of countries together.” If the UK’s effort to join the EU’s £78bn recovery loan scheme for Ukraine is successful, British defence firms would be able to provide equipment for Kyiv in return for a financial contribution of up to £400m, expected to come from the £3bn already ringfenced for Ukraine. But the EU expects the UK to go further in contributing to its budgets, in return for further access to its markets, after Starmer called for “deeper economic integration”. Brussels has also called for a permanent mechanism for an “appropriate financial contribution” from the UK for more access, with deals already struck with the EU on food and under way for energy as part of the government’s reset. At the summit in Armenia, the prime minister and the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed to start talks on UK participation in an EU innovation fund and to be “ambitious” at this summer’s UK-EU summit. European leaders agreed in March that the UK would have to pay into European structural and investment funds (ESIF) for the first time since Brexit if it wanted to participate in the EU’s single market for electricity. It said this financial contribution should “appropriately reflect the relative size of the UK’s economy and the proportion of the internal market in which the UK aims to participate”. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, accepted the UK was willing to make a financial contribution, arguing the principle was already well established, but suggested a reported figure of £1bn a year was incorrect. “It’s about judging whether in particular areas, it represents our national interest, and value for money with the UK taxpayers. The approach I’ve used the last few years, I’ll continue to,” he told LBC radio. The Cabinet Office is conducting an audit of which sectors could most benefit from further integration, with cars, chemicals and pharmaceuticals seen as a priority. In interview with the Observer at the weekend, Starmer underlined his wish to negotiate closer links with the EU at the next “reset” summit this summer, saying the world had changed since the Brexit vote. “It [Brexit] has damaged our economy and there’s no doubt in my mind where the national interest lies,” he said. “Britain must be at the heart of a stronger Europe on defence, on security, on energy, and on our economy.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, France’s radical left leader, has confirmed he will run again for president next spring, saying it was urgent for the country to stand up against war being waged by the US and Israel in the Middle East. The 74-year-old veteran leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), announced in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1 that he would run for the presidency for the fourth time in 2027. “We are threatened by a widespread war, we are threatened by a spectacular change in the climate, and now we have an economic and social crisis approaching,” he said. He called for a common front with Spain against war in the Middle East. A one-time Trotskyist and former teacher, Mélenchon spent 30 years in the traditional left party of government, the Socialists, where he served as a minister and was once the youngest ever Socialist senator. He quit in 2008, arguing the party wasn’t properly leftwing. He ran for president on a radical left ticket in 2012, 2017 and 2022 – coming third that year behind the far-right leader Marine Le Pen and the president, Emmanuel Macron. After the last presidential election, Mélenchon had vowed to stand aside to let a younger generation take the lead but now said he would run again next year because he had the most experience. There are a large number of would-be candidates on the rest of the broader French left, from Greens to Social Democrats, which could split the vote. Mélenchon said his radical left economic programme could counter the National Rally, the far right party that will be represented by either Le Pen or Jordan Bardella, and is polling high. But in a polarised French political landscape, Mélenchon is seen by opponents as an increasingly divisive and provocative figure. Several polls at the end of 2025 found he was the political figure in France who attracted the most hatred from voters. Political commentators and pollsters have said the wider electorate’s high feeling of antipathy towards him would prevent him from winning, even if divisions on the centre and the left allowed him to reach the final round. Last month, the Socialist party national bureau accused Mélenchon of “intolerable antisemitic comments” and “caricature conspiracy theories” after public rallies in which he questioned the pronunciation of the name of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and then appeared to deliberately stumble over Raphaël Glucksmann’s name, the French centre-left member of the European parliament , who is Jewish. Glucksmann said that Mélenchon, by mocking Jewish or foreign-sounding names, had become the “Jean-Marie Le Pen of our times” and was “playing with the worst codes of the French far-right and antisemitism”. Mélenchon then posted on social media saying he was sorry and that he had accidentally mangled Glucksmann’s name with others during a speech in Perpignan, in southern France. He denied any antisemitism, saying: “I’m the first one who is sorry, thinking about those it hurt.” Announcing his candidacy on TF1 at the weekend, Mélenchon said there was too much division and social inequality in France and his main adversary was the far-right. “What most divides the unity of the French people is privilege and racism,” he said. Under the French constitution, Macron cannot seek a third consecutive mandate as president next year. Edouard Philippe, Macron’s first prime minister in 2017, has also announced he intends to stand in 2027, representing a centre-right ticket. Scores of other figures from the centre, left and right have said they are keen to run, amid a lack of clarity on how candidates will be chosen.
Europe will not submit to a more “brutal world”, and can instead be the base from which a new international order can be rebuilt, Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has said. Carney was speaking as the first non-European leader to attend a meeting of the European Political Community, which opened on Monday amid high tensions in the strait of Hormuz and renewed doubts about the US commitment to Nato. “We don’t think that we’re destined to submit to a more transactional, insular and brutal world, and gatherings such as these point to a better way forward,” he said. In a pointed suggestion that the era of American leadership was coming to an end, and explaining the symbolism of Canada’s attendance at a European political gathering, he said: “It is my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt, but it will be rebuilt out of Europe. “We are demonstrating not just the strength of our values in defending a rules-based international order, but also the value of our strength,” he added. “The world is undergoing a rupture across several dimensions – integration is being used as a weapon by some and the rules are not constraining the hegemons.” The EPC meeting, the eighth since the organisation’s inception, is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, a venue chosen as a way of showing Europe’s determination to prevent the small Caucasus country from being dragged back into Russia’s orbit. It is being held against a backdrop of fresh concern over the US’s commitment to Nato after Donald Trump’s surprise decision to announce the withdrawal of more than 5,000 troops from Germany, a move that has confirmed Europeans’ worst fears about the reliability of the transatlantic alliance. Speaking in Yerevan, Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, said: “We cannot deny some of the alliances that we have come to rely on are not in the place where we would want them to be. There is more tension in the alliances than there should be.” How leaders responded to tensions in the alliances was likely to “define what goes on for many years, arguably for a generation”, he added. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, without mentioning the US, repeatedly highlighted the comparative reliability of Europe, saying it was this predictability that made Europe attractive in Asia, the Gulf, Latin America and Africa. Europe still faced a big derisking task so that it was no longer dependent on others, including China, for critical minerals and a range. He said: “The big issue we have beyond the wars is a big derisking strategy. It needs more solidarity more investment and better organisation to derisk from the main geopolitical risks.” The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia would face a crucial moment in the summer, which he termed “a moment to expand the war or move to diplomacy”. He said if Russia did not chose to end the war it was all the more vital that sanctions packages were not lifted. He called for a workable diplomatic format in which Europeans must be at the table at any talks. Discussing the planned troop withdrawal from Germany, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said there had been talk about withdrawal of US troops for a long time from Europe but that “the timing of this announcement comes as a surprise. I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in Nato.” Asked whether she believed that Trump was trying to punish the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for saying the US had been humiliated by Iran in talks to end the war, Kallas said: “I don’t see into the head of President Trump, so he has to explain it himself.” Merz himself skipped the Yerevan summit.
The US has launched an operation to “guide” ships trapped in the Gulf by the Iran war through a southern route of the strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran insists that any such transits will have to be coordinated with its armed forces. The scheme was announced as “Project Freedom” on Sunday night by Donald Trump on his social media page, where he portrayed it as a humanitarian gesture to help crews on hundreds of ships which have been unable to leave the Gulf since the war began. Shipping executives have responded cautiously to the move, amid uncertainty over how or if it would work. US officials were quoted in press reports as saying the operation would not involve naval escorts. US Central Command said it would “support” the project with its considerable military resources in the region, including guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, drones and 15,000 troops. But it said the emphasis of the mission was to “combine diplomatic action with military coordination”. On Monday morning, a US-led military organisation, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), said the US had established an “enhanced security area” south of the established prewar shipping lanes through the strait. The route would take ships through Omani territorial waters, the JMIC said, and due to high anticipated traffic, ship operators were told to coordinate with Omani authorities by radio. Ships were advised to avoid navigating in or close to the usual shipping lanes which “should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated”. Iran’s military command insisted that ships passing must coordinate with them. “We will manage the security of the strait of Hormuz with all might, and inform all commercial ships and tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without the coordination of the Iranian armed forces stationed in the strait of Hormuz in order not to jeopardise their security,” Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi said, according to Mehr news agency. Earlier, Abdollahi had said Iran would attack “any foreign armed force” which tried to approach or enter the strait, “especially, the aggressive US army”. It was unclear on Monday morning how many ships had chosen to use the US-recommended route. Richard Hext, the chair of Vanmar Shipping and the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, pointed out that Iran had previously declared that unapproved transit of the strait would be considered a “violation of the ceasefire” agreed last month. “Under these circumstances we should be cautious,” Hext told CNN. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Monday that the only way to reopen the strait was “a coordinated reopening by the United States and Iran”. Speaking at a meeting of European leaders in Armenia, Macron added: “We are not going to take part in any military operation in a framework that to me seems unclear.” More than 850 ships are estimated to have been trapped in the Gulf since the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran on 28 February. Iran imposed a blockade on foreign shipping using the strait of Hormuz soon afterwards and Trump imposed a counter-blockade of ships using Iranian ports on 13 April. A Pakistani-brokered ceasefire, announced by Trump in early April, stopped hostilities but failed to open the strait. An estimated 20,000 sailors are stuck on the tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and other vessels, and there are growing concerns for their welfare. Trump said the US had been approached by countries for help. Announcing the project on Truth Social, Trump said the US would use its “best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait”. Giving no details on how this would be achieved, the president presented it as a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran”. “I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else,” Trump said. He added: “If, in any way, this humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.” His post was also notable for its claim that there were “very positive discussions between US representatives and Iran … and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all”, in a dramatic change of tone. Trump has a record of delivering surprisingly upbeat messages in the hours before global markets open. He initially reacted negatively over the weekend to Iran’s latest 14-point peace proposal, saying Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price” for its past wrongs. The Israeli state broadcaster, Kan News, reported on Sunday night it had interviewed Trump and quoted him as saying he had “studied the new Iranian proposal and it is unacceptable to me”. Trump’s rhetoric over the weekend, prior to his announcement on Sunday, had been particularly bellicose. After telling Congress in a formal letter that the US was not at war, he told a meeting of supporters at a retirement community in Florida: “You know we’re in a war, because I think you would agree we cannot let lunatics have a nuclear weapon.” The war talk boosted speculation over the possibility of another round of US strikes against Iran aimed at forcing concessions, including a halt to the country’s nuclear programme. Israeli press reports quoted senior military officials saying they were preparing for possible US strikes on Iran, and the likelihood that Tehran would hit back at Israel. A senior Israeli officer who briefed reporters on Friday said any peace agreement without a cessation of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme and the surrender of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be considered a failure. Iran’s military-backed Fars news agency quoted a senior official as saying a return to all-out conflict was “likely”, weeks after the ceasefire was brokered. Pakistani efforts to rekindle peace talks in Islamabad, after a first round ended without agreement, have so far failed as each side set preconditions that the other refused to fulfil.
Good morning. The cost of fossil fuels is threatening to strangle the global economy once again. Last week, oil prices surged after the US president, Donald Trump, warned that a blockade of Iranian ports could last months – causing the price of oil to jump to its highest level since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With it, the spectre of global recession looms large. But on the Atlantic coast in Colombia last week, a coalition of the willing was working to break the cycle. Almost 60 governments met in Santa Marta for the world’s first conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels. At the conference, each country agreed to develop roadmaps on how to move away from fossil fuel dependency. For today’s First Edition, I spoke with the Guardian’s environment editor Fiona Harvey, who was in Colombia for the summit, about whether the war in Iran has inadvertently given renewable energy a major boost. But first, the headlines. Five big stories AI | The biometrics commissioner for England and Wales has warned that national oversight of AI-powered face scanning to catch criminals is lagging far behind the technology’s rapid growth. UK politics | Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has warned there will be “no magic bullet” to solve Labour’s problems or major challenges facing the country as its MPs grapple with how to navigate the fallout from the local elections. Iran | Donald Trump has announced that the US will “guide” ships trapped by the Iran war out of the Gulf through the strait of Hormuz on Monday morning, and claimed his representatives were having “very positive” discussions with Iran. Europe | Canada is to become the first non-European country to attend a meeting of the European Political Community when the prime minister, Mark Carney, joins today’s summit in Armenia. Israel | Spain’s foreign ministry has demanded the immediate release of a Spanish national it said was being “held illegally” by Israel after the interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla. In depth: An immense irony seems to be unfolding Amid Donald Trump’s second presidency, the climate crisis has largely disappeared from the global agenda. A coordinated attack on the green movement by his administration has seen the US government leave the Paris agreement once again; withdraw from the UN convention of climate change; defund a swathe of projects around the world helping to improve resilience and adaptation; and demand others follow their example. At the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) spring meetings, the US did all it could to stop countries even mentioning climate change. But the US is starting to seem out of step globally. As the UN’s climate chief Simon Stiell pointed out on Thursday, an “immense irony is unfolding” as a result of the war in Iran: the rocketing price of oil driven by US-Israeli attacks on Iran has supercharged the boom in renewable power. Governments, businesses and households around the world are looking to solar power and wind to escape the biting cost of fossil fuels. While oil and gas companies, particularly those based in the US, may enjoy bumper short-term profits, the genie is already out of the bottle. Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told the Guardian that the war has changed the fossil fuel industry forever, shattering its image of reliability, and boosting nuclear power and renewables. The world will need and use fossil fuels still, but countries seem to be losing trust. “The vase is broken, the damage is done – it will be very difficult to put the pieces back together. This will have permanent consequences for the global energy markets for years to come,” he said. *** A roadmap for action The immense irony is not lost on those who wish to see more action on climate. The summit in Colombia, which was organised jointly with the Netherlands, arouse out of an immense frustration with the UN climate process. It has caveats, being voluntary, and lacking attendance from most of the world’s biggest emitters. But during what feels like a historic political low for the climate movement, the conference maintains momentum on efforts to avert extreme temperature rises, says Fiona. “This summit is not going to solve the problems of the world, or replace the official UN climate process, but in its own way, it can help solve some of the current problems in the climate movement. You need to get buy-in from countries who want action on this issue. They also need to find a way to communicate with governments who do not, which are largely autocracies,” she says. In the end, 59 countries participated in the talks, representing more than half of global GDP, nearly a third of energy demand and a fifth of fossil fuel supply. But one country in particular loomed large over the talks. “We have never seen a United States government like this before,” Fiona tells me. “When I first started writing about the climate, George W Bush was in charge and he wasn’t keen on the climate. But he didn’t go around saying things to the tune of we’re going to smash up renewables, halt investment in them, and say that climate change is a hoax. “It’s a very different landscape with Trump in charge – and Santa Marta is an expression of how countries are responding to that.” *** Petrostates versus electrostates The Trump administration’s rejection of action on the climate and the energy transition has opened up a technological fissure. On one side, there is the US which has full energy independence with fossil fuels and under Trump, wishes to continue using the technologies that have dominated the last century. On the other, there is China which is on its way to becoming the world’s first electrostate, dominating the production of solar panels, wind turbines, affordable electric cars and the supply chains needed to produce them. “The petrostate v electrostate division has been an issue for the last year or so. The idea is that you’re either hooked on oil, gas and coal, or you move to an electrified future. The discourse has been precipitated by Donald Trump as he has made things very stark,” Fiona says. “We always knew that electrification was the only way to get out of the climate conundrum. It’s much easier to get off fossil fuels if you electrify everything first.” Many governments are wary about their potential dependence on China if they make this transition, with European governments in particular looking to ensure that they are not entirely reliant on Beijing to make the energy transition. They will need to walk a tightrope between the US and China moving forwards. *** Concrete solutions As government representatives departed the Colombian Atlantic coast, many left with a hint of optimism for the first time in years. Momentum was already hard to find in official UN climate talks before Trump returned to the presidency, but enough was achieved for this coalition of the willing, which agreed to meet annually alongside Indigenous leaders, scientists and other experts. Despite the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence that humans are driving global heating due to the consumption of fossil fuels, the official UN climate process still struggles to agree on this simple fact. Now, a significant minority have – and it is up to them to build the world of tomorrow. “We decided not to resign ourselves to an economy built on the destruction of life,” said Irene Vélez Torres, Colombia’s environment minister and chair of the talks. “We decided that the transition away from fossil fuels could no longer remain a slogan but must become a concrete, political and collective endeavour.” What else we’ve been reading Jenny Kleeman looks at a fascinating case – twins Lavinia and Michelle thought they knew about their family history, but it turned out, they have different fathers. Martin For five years, the Guardian’s You Be the Judge has tried to settle domestic disputes. This week, they return to some of the biggest arguments – think squabbles of shared toothbrushes – to find out what happened next. Patrick Has Simon Hattenstone ever done a bad interview? His interrogation of Danny Dyer is, as you would expect, top notch. Martin Five authors, including Yomi Adegoke and Bella Mackie, reflect on throwaway comments that transformed the way their saw their lives. Patrick I am not sure I would ditch my clothes for a story, but Rowan Jacobsen does for Slate, as he investigates the apparently diminishing appeal of nudism. Martin Sport Football | Tottenham moved out of the bottom three after goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison gave them a 2-1 win at Aston Villa. Formula One | Kimi Antonelli held off Lando Norris to win the Miami GP, with Oscar Piastri third. The Mercedes driver’s third consecutive win this season extends his championship lead to 20 points over George Russell. Tennis | Jannik Sinner became the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000s, beating Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in 56 minutes. The front pages “Alarm over ‘toothless’ oversight of AI facial recognition systems” is the lead story in the Monday print edition of the Guardian. The Times has “Britain told to pay £1bn a year to EU after ‘reset’” while the Mirror runs with “Reform in new race row”. A local elections frightener in the Mail: “Labour’s plan to double parking fine fee”. The Telegraph reports “Welfare pays more than work for 600k households”. “State pension triple lock under threat if UK goes to war with Putin” – that’s in the i paper while the Financial Times tells us “Banks in danger of ‘choking’ on data centre financing seek to offload risk”. “Cheers to you” – the Express reports on a campaign it ran to help a group of second world war veterans. Commuter paper the Metro is on bank holiday. Today in Focus The women who took their own lives after domestic abuse Geraldine McKelvie and Hannah Al-Othman tell the stories of women who died after enduring sustained campaigns of cruelty Cartoon of the day | Tom Gauld The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Whether it is the ageless joy of sitting in the front seat at the top of a bus, doing a cartwheel, cooking from scratch or just getting lost, a whole host of Guardian writers recommend 50 ways to simply have fun. Yes, some of them require a bit of cash, but challenging the rest of the family to a battle of “drawing your own nose”, counting how many dogs you see on a day out, or learning how to play a favourite song can all be done on a shoestring budget this bank holiday. 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
Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called for “advanced discussions” on revising the pacifist constitution, as large demonstrations were held nationwide to oppose any changes to the country’s supreme law. Speaking during an official visit to Vietnam, Takaichi said the constitution, which was written by US occupation forces after the second world war, “should periodically be updated to reflect the demands of the times”. Takaichi and others on the conservative wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic party have long called for change, saying the current document restricts Japan’s ability to respond to growing security threats from North Korea and China. Revisionists have set their sights on article 9 – the co-called “pacifist” clause – which forbids Japan from threatening or using military force to settle international disputes. While controversial legislation passed a decade ago theoretically allows Japan to exercise collective self-defence – or coming to the aid of an ally under attack – Takaichi has turned reform into a focal point of her administration since becoming prime minister last autumn. Any revisions would need to secure a two-thirds majority in both houses of Japan’s national diet – or parliament – and a simple majority in a national referendum. Recent opinion polls reveal deep divisions among the public, from broad support for minor revisions, such as recognising the legal status of the self-defence forces, to opposition to fundamental changes to Japan’s postwar pacifism. In a poll published at the weekend by the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, 57% of respondents were in favour of revision, while a survey by the liberal Asahi Shimbun put support for reform at 47%. The constitutional constraints placed on Japan’s military were highlighted in March, when Takaichi cited article 9 when she turned down a request – reportedly with reluctance – by Donald Trump to send the maritime self-defence forces to the strait of Hormuz. On Sunday – constitutional memorial day – an estimated 50,000 people gathered at a park in Tokyo in support of the document, whose wording has remained unchanged since it went into effect on 3 May 1947. Protesters holding anti-war placards said article 9 had succeeded in keeping Japan out of ill-advised US-wars, including Iran. “Under Takaichi, Japan is following America like a dog follows its owner,” said Hiroko Maekawa, a councillor for a Tokyo ward. “The LDP wants to turn the self-defence forces into a traditional military, because they know the constitution, as it is, prevents them from doing that.” Another local councillor, Megumi Koike, described Japan’s constitution as “a national treasure and a treasure to the world”. “Takaichi thinks that most Japanese people want to change the constitution because they believe there is a threat from China and North Korea, but that’s just not true,” she said. “We should be spending money on healthcare, education and jobs, not on more weapons.” Demonstrations were held in dozens of other towns and cities on Sunday – a public holiday – attended by people old enough to recall how the postwar constitution had brought peace and stability to a country ravaged by conflict. “I want to cherish the constitution like I do my own child, and pass it on to the next generation,” Haruka Watanabe, an 87-year-old protester in Osaka, told the Kyodo news agency. As she prepared to travel to Australia to discuss energy security, critical minerals and defence with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, Takaichi said the time for debate was almost over. “We mustn’t have discussion just for discussion’s sake,” she said in Hanoi, according to Kyodo. “To retain the trust placed in them by the people, politicians must discuss the issue and make a decision.” Although Trump has criticised Japan for not sending troops to the Middle East, the US embassy in Tokyo posted a message that could be interpreted as support for constitution, which went into effect during the US occupation led by Gen Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of the Allied Powers. The document, the embassy said on its official X account, had upheld “popular sovereignty, respect for fundamental human rights, and pacifism”. It added: “This constitution, highly praised by Gen MacArthur in his memoirs, has continued to serve as the foundation of Japanese society for 79 years since its enactment, without ever having been amended.” Sunday’s protest in Tokyo was the latest in a wave of demonstrations that are attracting people in greater numbers each time. An estimated 3,600 people demonstrated outside parliament in late February, swelling to 36,000 later that month.
Women are hit hardest when the debt burden in developing countries rises, a trend expected to worsen as the war in the Middle East continues, UN research shows. A report by experts from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), based on data from 85 countries gathered across three decades, shows women are disproportionately affected when debt repayments increase significantly. As governments cut back public spending to accommodate rising debt costs, women, who are overrepresented in sectors such as education and care, are more likely to lose their jobs – and then to shoulder additional caring duties as the state retreats. The UNDP’s administrator, Alexander De Croo, said the research underlined the importance for debtor countries of weighing the impact of potential spending cuts. Even before the US-Israel war on Iran, he highlighted, 56 countries were spending more than 10% of government revenue on servicing their debts. The conflict is likely to exacerbate that situation as energy and fertiliser costs rise and global interest rates increase. “In a moment like this, due to the instability in the world, but definitely induced by what is happening in the Gulf region, you see that governments are even more pressed to make choices,” he said. “What we really want to point to in this report is that, look, when you make those choices as governments, please be careful: if you reduce your social spending, you should know that big chunk of social spending is going to women, and a bigger part of the employment that social spending is going to – it’s going to women.” The report finds that, between the early 2010s and 2022, debt-servicing burdens in the 85 developing countries studied almost doubled. It estimates this led to the loss of 22 million women’s jobs in the short-term, and more than 38 million in the long term. In general, moving from a moderate to a high debt-servicing burden – measured as a share of a country’s exports – causes on average a 17% decline in women’s income per capita, the report finds, while men’s income is unchanged. Life expectancy tends to decline for women and men. Achieving gender equality is one of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals. De Croo suggested creditor countries could consider linking debt relief to commitments to avoid spending cuts that disproportionately hit women. “Helping women to have an income, to have a job, has a very high development outcome, and it actually has a higher development outcome than providing men with an income,” he said. “The countries providing loans can go into that logic and say: ‘Let’s have a discussion on making sure how you actually preserve your path towards prosperity and towards repaying those debts.’” The research underlines the risks of the rising debt burden across the developing world as the conflict in the Middle East takes its toll. Soaring prices for oil, gas and fertiliser are hitting, just as many countries have been affected by steep cuts in overseas aid – including by the UK. The International Monetary Fund warned last month that developing countries are more exposed to rising interest rates and currency instability because of the growing status of private investors, such as hedge funds, as lenders. The UNDP echoes that analysis, stressing the resulting currency volatility can worsen governments’ existing challenges with servicing their debt. In the current crisis, the report warns: “As currencies weaken and inflation rises, the cost of servicing debt increases, precisely when governments face growing demands to shield households from rising food and energy prices. “This creates a reinforcing cycle in which external shocks deepen debt vulnerabilities, further constraining fiscal space for social investment.”