In U.S.-Iran talks

U.S. and Iranian officials are in Switzerland for high-stakes talks, with Vice President JD Vance saying the aim is to make progress on the nuclear issue and on a Lebanon ceasefire. The meeting is being framed as a push to reinforce the existing memorandum of understanding, with Lebanon also high on the agenda. Iran is meanwhile condemning Israeli strikes on Lebanon as violations of the interim deal.

In Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen region, more than 2,000 kilometers from the border, and said Ukraine now has new long-range drones with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers. Reports from Siberia described smoke and fire at the site, while attacks were also reported on Russian-held targets in occupied Crimea.

At the same time, Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine killed three people and wounded 22.

In the UK

A report says the UK asylum appeals system now faces a backlog equal to 44,000 years of waiting time, with 38,866 claims still to be processed and an average appeal judgment time of 14 months. It puts the cost of the wider system at about £80 million a year. The Home Office says it has already cut the initial asylum backlog and plans further reforms to speed up appeals and removals.

Separately, Bectu says scores of film producer Alan Latham’s companies have been struck off the Companies House register, leaving some workers unable to pursue unpaid fees. The producer has also previously faced questions over his use of tax credits.

In the Middle East

U.S. and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Switzerland for direct talks, the first face-to-face contact since April, with the nuclear issue and the Lebanon ceasefire on the agenda. JD Vance is there, along with White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which is one way to signal a conversation is being taken very seriously. Tehran also claimed it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, but U.S. Central Command said merchant ships were still moving through the waterway.

In Washington

A federal judge ruled the Justice Department can release audio recordings and transcripts of former President Biden to the Heritage Foundation as part of a special counsel probe, but put the release on hold for three weeks so an appeals court can weigh Biden’s challenge.

Separately, President Trump said he may drain the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool again after workers found peeling paint and algae following a $14 million resurfacing job. Sixteen days after the refill, the pool has already become a case study in federal optimism.

In California

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency as the city battles a major warehouse fire in Boyle Heights.

In sports

Wyndham Clark takes a six-shot lead into the final round of the U.S. Open, with Scottie Scheffler still in the chase. In Philadelphia, the Phillies hammered the Mets 15-3 behind a big night from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, who hit for the cycle while Schwarber launched three home runs, including his MLB-leading 28th.

In health policy

Medicare says it will launch a demonstration program on July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027, expanding access to GLP-1 drugs during that period.

In Philadelphia

Police say a 62-year-old man was killed Saturday morning after being struck while crossing Roosevelt Boulevard at South Hampton Road in Northeast Philadelphia. Investigators say he crossed against a red light and was hit by a southbound Ford Taurus. The driver stayed at the scene, and the crash is under investigation.

In a separate crash, police say an e-bike rider was killed in Cobbs Creek after colliding with a Chrysler 300 at 58th and Pine streets. Investigators say the car had a green light and the e-bike went through a red light. Police are also investigating a shootout and carjacking in Parkside, where nearly 70 shell casings were found, and a rideshare driver shot during an attempted robbery in Fairmount.

In Colombia

Colombia’s presidential race is being shaped by the country’s worsening internal conflict, with violence and negotiations with armed groups now at the center of the campaign. One leading left-wing senator supports talks with armed gangs, while an outsider backed by Trump is trying to make the case for a harder line.

In Britain

Police in Edinburgh have charged a man in connection with suspected anti-Muslim attacks near a mosque, where two people were injured. Witnesses also reported a man battering the door of a pizzeria as people fled the area.

In west London, three men died after a fire in a single-storey pavilion on New Zealand Way in White City. Fire crews rescued them from the building, but they died shortly afterward, authorities said.

In Europe

A Spanish judge has revoked the passport of Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, before her corruption trial, saying she may be a flight risk.

On U.S. and Iran talks

U.S. and Iranian delegations are set to meet in Switzerland on Sunday for ceasefire talks, with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar also expected to take part. The discussions come as both sides try to flesh out an interim agreement aimed at halting the war, while Tehran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again and warns that little will move unless the fighting stops.

In Edinburgh

Counter-terrorism officers are leading an investigation into a string of violent attacks across Edinburgh on Friday night that left five men injured. Police say a 36-year-old Scottish man has been arrested, and there is no further threat to the public. Three of the injured needed hospital treatment, though none are said to be life-threatening. The assaults are being treated as suspected anti-Muslim attacks.

In the Middle East

Iran says it is closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, while warning vessels to stay clear. U.S. Central Command says traffic through the waterway has continued, with merchant ships still moving through. In Lebanon, Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least 16 people despite a ceasefire agreement, with each side accusing the other of violations. The region remains in the familiar state of everyone insisting the escalation is someone else’s fault.

In U.S. news

The Grand Canyon is under an extreme heat watch, with the National Weather Service warning that temperatures in lower areas could climb above 111F from Monday into Tuesday evening. The alert follows recent deaths in the park and is a reminder that nature does not care about holiday plans.

In British politics

Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure from within his Labour Party to step aside, and he is still resisting it. The question now is how long that lasts.

At the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV praised Saint Frances Cabrini as a model for Christians, pointing to her care for migrants and urging young people to learn from her life. The message lands squarely in the middle of his continuing clash with the Trump administration over immigration policy.

In the Middle East

Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, even as U.S. and Iranian technical talks are set for Sunday in Switzerland, with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar also expected to take part. Tehran is blaming Israeli fighting in Lebanon and what it calls U.S. bad faith over the interim deal. The diplomatic thermostat remains broken.

In Washington

House Democrats say FBI Director Kash Patel approved more than $1 million in bonuses for people tied to his leadership circle and security detail, and they want the awards examined. Separately, the White House’s latest health summary for Donald Trump no longer mentions finasteride, the anti-balding drug long associated with him, which has prompted fresh questions about what is being left out of the public record.

In agriculture and food prices

Texas shelters and rescues are preparing for the spread of New World screwworm, stepping up inspections, wound checks, and parasite prevention as 13 counties remain under quarantine. The movement limits are making animal transfers harder and could strain shelter capacity if the outbreak worsens. Federal officials say recent trap checks found no worms and no sign of a widespread infestation.

At the same time, beef prices in the United States are climbing and are expected to rise further as trade tensions and disease outbreaks squeeze supply. Summer grilling is getting a little less festive, and a lot more expensive.

In Europe

Five people were injured in suspected Islamophobic attacks in Edinburgh. Two were hurt near a mosque, and later a man was seen battering the door of a pizzeria while people ran away. Police are treating it as a serious public safety case.

In Spain, a court has ordered a corruption trial for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife and revoked her passport, adding more pressure on an already strained minority government.

In the UK

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat across England and Wales next week, with temperatures possibly reaching 36C in parts of southern England, the Midlands, and eastern Wales. The warning covers health risks like heat exhaustion and dehydration, plus possible disruption to road, rail, and air travel.

Separately, the Department for Work and Pensions will raise Pension Credit payments from July, adding up to £66.60 a month for couples. The weekly Guarantee Credit threshold is also going up, but claimants still have to apply and meet the usual income and savings rules.

British Transport Police say nine people remain in critical condition after the Bedford train crash, with 28 passengers still in hospital. The driver was killed in the collision.

And in Westminster, pressure is building on Keir Starmer, with Labour peer Charlie Falconer saying the prime minister has “no authority” as allies push for clarity over his future and possible succession talk around Andy Burnham.

In the Middle East

Médecins Sans Frontières says conditions in Lebanon’s Nabatieh have become a “death trap” as Israel intensifies strikes in southern Lebanon. The fighting is continuing despite earlier claims of a truce, and the violence is now complicating wider diplomatic efforts, including reported U.S.-linked peace talks.

There is also some relief from Syria, where German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann has returned home after being held in Raqqa since January, according to her family.

In sports

The U.S. national team beat Australia 2-0 to reach the World Cup knockout round, even without injured forward Christian Pulisic.

In the Middle East

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Switzerland for delayed talks with Iran, after Israeli strikes on Lebanon complicated the diplomatic effort. Lebanon says a new wave of strikes killed at least five people, less than a day after U.S. officials said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a renewed ceasefire. The ceasefire has, it seems, met the region’s usual problem of not surviving contact with reality.

Iran is also pressing Washington over Lebanon as the broader effort to steady the situation remains fragile.

In the U.K.

Two East Midlands Railway trains collided, injuring dozens of passengers and crew. Emergency services responded quickly, and officials are still working to determine what happened.

In Loose near Maidstone, residents are again calling for drainage repairs after 25 years of flooding, saying they want the problem fixed before the next heavy rain puts homes at risk.

Meanwhile, a study from Swansea University says warning people about the danger SUVs pose to cyclists and pedestrians does little to change buying habits, so ministers may need to reach for financial penalties if they actually want fewer of them on the road.

In Europe

The European Commission is planning to loosen parts of the EU’s water protection rules to speed up critical minerals mining, even though many of the projects are in drought-stricken or water-stressed areas. Mining needs a lot of water for processing, dust control, waste management, and dewatering, which is not a subtle demand in a dry place.

Spain is pushing its tourism strategy beyond the coast as it heads toward another record year for foreign visitors, with the government trying to spread tourists more evenly across seasons and regions. Officials are rejecting claims the country is already full, a claim tourists and residents tend to hear from opposite sides of the same crowded street.

The Conservatives have won a Scottish by-election for the first time in 50 years, taking Aberdeen South from the SNP. Kemi Badenoch is using the result to argue that moving away from the party’s net zero commitment is paying off, with support for North Sea oil drilling apparently doing a fair bit of the work.

Global displacement

The UN says nearly 15 million displaced people returned home in 2025, the largest surge of returns it has ever recorded. It is a significant shift, though one that still sits inside a global displacement crisis that remains enormous.

In U.S. politics

Donald Trump said Israel would have been “eviscerated” without U.S. support and claimed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will do as I say” on military operations, while the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah kept fraying with Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah drones triggering alerts in northern Israel.

Elsewhere in Washington, three Democratic senators, Cory Booker, Adam Schiff, and Elizabeth Warren, are pressing the FCC to pause the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, arguing foreign investors in the deal could pose a national security risk. Trump also said a former Qatari-owned jumbo jet converted for presidential use is nearly ready to become an interim Air Force One — a flying White House, which is exactly the kind of phrase that should make everyone sit down and check the wiring.

In the UK

One person has died and nearly 90 others have been injured after two trains collided near Bedford, about 100 kilometers north of London. Emergency services are still dealing with the aftermath.

In Ukraine and Europe

Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave Belarus a week to remove signal relay equipment he says Russia is using in attacks on Ukraine, warning Kyiv would act if it does not. He also urged Belarus to cut off refined oil supplies to the Russian military.

In wider developments, EU leaders defended keeping diplomatic contact with Moscow, Russia said it remains open to dialogue without ultimatums, Emmanuel Macron said Europeans would need a seat at any Ukraine peace talks, and Poland said it would strip Zelenskyy of a top honour over a wartime nationalist reference. Separately, Russian shelling killed three civilians in Kramatorsk, and French authorities detained a Belarus-born man on suspicion of spying on a drone manufacturer.

In sports

Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 at the World Cup, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice and Vinícius Júnior adding the third before halftime. Brazil moved to the top of Group C, while Haiti are out of contention for the knockout stage.

In the U.S.

A train crash in Bedford, with one driver killed and 33 people seriously injured, has been declared a major incident, with nearly 90 people hurt in all. In Kansas City, police say an Uber carrying Argentina soccer fans was caught up in a series of shootings that left one man dead and four people injured. And in Texas, Collin County has released trial exhibits from the case against Karmelo Anthony, including crime scene photos, the knife prosecutors say was used, 911 calls, and police body-camera video, after his conviction for the murder of Austin Metcalf.

Also in Washington, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is already showing algae and signs of peeling after a renovation that cost more than $15 million, which is a strong return on investment if the investment was in excuses. Separately, a federal judge rejected Joe Biden’s bid to block release of recordings made for his memoir.

In international news

Italy is pushing back after Donald Trump said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him at the G7, a remark that set off a diplomatic spat and helped scuttle a planned trip to the United States. In Cuba, the government has approved sweeping free-market reforms, the biggest economic shift since the revolution. And in the Middle East, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire after overnight fighting in southern Lebanon threatened the fragile deal, with American and Iranian officials expected to meet soon on a longer-term agreement.

In international news

Police in Victoria, Australia, have charged a third man in the December 2024 arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue. In Norway, the government has opened consultation on a bill that would ban trade with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. And Cuba’s parliament has approved 174 economic reforms in a week, the biggest policy shift there in 15 years, though the details are still thin.

In the U.S.

A Boeing 747-200 has made its final flight as Air Force One after bringing President Trump home from Europe, as the Air Force unveiled the newer 747-8 that is expected to enter service after commissioning flights. Separately, California Governor Gavin Newsom brushed off reported Justice Department investigations involving him and his wife, daring the White House to “go after” him. And federal prosecutors say Mark Milk, whose life sentence was commuted by Kristi Noem in 2023, has now been charged in the death of his 14-year-old niece, along with a second man accused of helping conceal evidence.

In crime and court cases

Los Angeles police detained a streamer identified by other online creators as StomperIRL after shots were fired into a crowd of thousands at a World Cup watch party. One fan suffered a leg wound. In Massachusetts, passengers described the Bedford train crash scene as looking and feeling like a bomb went off. Meanwhile, Canadian auto parts mogul Frank Stronach, 93, has been found guilty of sexual assault and indecent assault for conduct dating back decades.