In Britain

The Home Office plans to use AI facial recognition to help estimate the ages of asylum seekers who say they are children, under a £322,000 contract for software from Akhter Computers. Ministers say it will support existing checks and help prevent adults posing as minors, while social workers warn that shortcuts in age assessment can lead to serious safeguarding mistakes. The government also says a second retrial will not go ahead for two men accused of assaulting a Greater Manchester Police officer in the 2024 airport brawl, ending that case for now.

In U.S. news

Donald Trump’s push to encourage more births is showing little obvious progress, according to experts who say parenthood does not appear easier and public appetite for having children has not rebounded much. In Congress, Republicans are increasingly worried about New Jersey Representative Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent from his district and the House for nearly three months, leaving a competitive seat and a narrow majority looking uncomfortably exposed.

In business

Anthropic says it has raised $65 billion at a $965 billion valuation, in one of the biggest AI funding rounds yet. The company says the money will go into research, development, and infrastructure as demand for Claude keeps climbing, with its revenue run rate now at $47 billion. In the housing market, the slowdown is pushing tens of thousands of U.S. real estate agents to look for second jobs, from classrooms to retail and substitute teaching, just to keep their incomes afloat.

In Europe

Germany’s climate experts say the country has made progress on parts of its 2025 climate goals, but not enough to count as a full success. In Romania, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would support the country after an attack on a residential building and urged the European Union to keep tightening pressure on Russia.

In Africa

A court in Kenya has blocked a U.S. plan to set up an Ebola quarantine facility in the country. The proposal had drawn strong backlash from medical workers, despite no confirmed Ebola cases there.

In Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo has stepped up its Ebola response after health authorities confirmed a new case in Goma, a crowded city in the east. Officials are trying to contain a worsening outbreak before it spreads further.

In the Middle East

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel now controls about 60 percent of Gaza and plans to expand that to 70 percent. He says the aim is to tighten pressure on Hamas as the war grinds on.

In Britain

South Yorkshire Police say Shanice Brookes, 30, was an innocent bystander when she was fatally shot outside a Sheffield bar on Bank Holiday Monday. Two men have been charged, including one with murder, and both are due in court later today.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel over the bank holiday weekend, putting border enforcement back under pressure. Britain’s heatwave is also keeping beaches packed, and in a few cases sending people straight into swan ponds.

In Europe

France’s lower house of parliament has unanimously voted to repeal the 1685 Code Noir, the colonial decree that once defined enslaved Africans as property. It is a symbolic move against one of the legal relics of slavery.

In Portugal, Lisbon airport will get 48 extra police officers from Friday as long border-control queues continue, with the delays increasingly blamed on the new Europe-wide Entry/Exit System.

In business

Oil prices fell and markets rose after reports that the United States and Iran had agreed in principle to extend their ceasefire, raising hopes that the conflict could keep de-escalating. Separately, Asda has agreed a deal with Ocado that will see the grocery tech company take over all of Asda’s home deliveries from next year.

In the United States

The Justice Department is quietly seeking private user data from Reddit and X in cases tied to anonymous criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The requests reportedly include names, addresses and banking details, drawing backlash from privacy advocates.

In Florida, a Blue Origin rocket exploded during a test at the company’s launch pad on Thursday night. No injuries were reported.

In Hawaii, police arrested 36-year-old Jacob Baker after a manhunt linked to three killings in separate locations over two days on the Big Island. Investigators have not released a motive.

In tech and business

Blue Origin says its New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday night. No one was hurt, and the company said there was no threat from fumes or other hazards. The blast lit up the sky and shook nearby homes. Blue Origin said it is too early to know the cause and will update the public as it learns more.

Anthropic, the company behind Claude, has raised $65 billion from investors, pushing its valuation to $965 billion ahead of an expected IPO.

In the Middle East

Israel has expanded strikes in southern Lebanon, triggering mass evacuations as the situation worsens on the ground.

President Trump says the United States has the upper hand in talks aimed at ending the conflict in Iran, arguing that joint U.S.-Israeli strikes have weakened Iran’s military. He described Iranian negotiators as strong and said the U.S. has “all the cards.”

In Britain

Robert Jenrick has criticized the government’s response after Vickrum Digwa was found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton. Nowak was stabbed to death last December, and prosecutors said he was struck five times with a 21cm Sikh ceremonial blade. Jenrick called the killing a national scandal and said ministers had been silent. Calls to ban kirpans have also grown after the verdict, and more protests are planned in Southampton this weekend.

In climate and energy

Norway is weighing how to expand renewable power without damaging biodiversity. Electricity demand is expected to keep rising as the country electrifies more of its economy, but hydropower, wind farms, solar installations and transmission lines all take land and can disrupt ecosystems. The question is where to build, and what gets pushed aside when that happens.

A severe heatwave is gripping India and Pakistan, with temperatures above 46C in many places and conditions far above seasonal norms. The heat has driven record electricity demand, worsened drought, and contributed to at least 37 deaths in India and 10 in Pakistan, though officials say the true toll is likely higher. Relief is expected with the monsoon, but the broader trend is clear: hotter years are getting harder to ignore.

In tech and security

Microsoft is threatening legal action after a researcher publicly released six Windows zero-day vulnerabilities and exploit code, following a breakdown in coordinated disclosure talks. It is the kind of dispute that turns vulnerability research into a courtroom hobby.

Elsewhere in security, a Romanian hacker has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for selling credentials tied to Oregon’s disaster management agency on a hacking forum. Prosecutors said the broader campaign caused about $250,000 in losses across multiple U.S. entities.

A broader breach roundup this week also flagged active-duty U.S. troops being tracked through cell phone data, authentication bypasses at Kali365, phishing against Australian lawmakers on WhatsApp, and CISA warning that LiteSpeed is under active exploitation. Hospitals in Lithuania and Germany also disclosed breaches, a grim reminder that cybersecurity still has a long memory and a short supply of luck.

On the business side, Snowflake plans to acquire Natoma, a San Francisco startup focused on AI access control and model context protocol gateways, as companies scramble to manage delegated permissions, agent connections, and the usual mess of shadow AI.

In U.S. news

Recovery crews in Washington have found the remains of six of the nine workers missing after a chemical tank rupture, bringing the death toll to 11, with three still unaccounted for. It remains one of the deadliest workplace accidents in recent U.S. history.

Protests have also broken out outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in New Jersey after a hunger strike inside the facility. The incident has renewed scrutiny of conditions in immigration custody.

The White House has launched a space-themed website that mocks claims about secret alien encounters while spotlighting arrests of immigrants who are not authorized to live in the United States. It opens with a Star Wars-style crawl, which is certainly one way to do messaging.

In the Middle East

U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to extend their fragile ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and create a framework for wider talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Final terms are still being worked out, and the deal still needs approval from President Trump and Iran’s leadership.

The ceasefire talks come as Colombian President Gustavo Petro is criticizing the U.S. after a Colombian native died in ICE custody at a jail in southeast Missouri last year, another case that has drawn political fallout far beyond the original detention center.

In climate

A new study says global warming is making the hajj more dangerous, with extreme heat now arriving in Mecca outside the summer months. Researchers warn that without a rapid shift away from fossil fuels, dangerous conditions could become nearly year-round by the end of the century.

In cyber and crypto

India’s CERT-In is telling companies to patch critical internet-facing flaws within 12 hours, a sign that defenders are being asked to move at the speed of the attackers for once. Security experts are also warning that fast-spreading AI agents are creating a much larger attack surface, which means companies need a broader system-level approach before they hand them the keys.

In crypto, the U.S. sanctioned networks tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, while the U.K. sanctioned a HTX-linked entity. Separately, there were reports of a shutdown at Syndicate Labs, a Missouri lawsuit against CoinFlip, a bounty deal involving the Verus attacker, an exploit at StablR, and malicious packages targeting crypto developers’ systems. The FBI also warned that fake FIFA websites are already circulating ahead of the 2026 World Cup, because criminals do love a deadline with a giant audience.

In U.S. politics and law enforcement

The Trump administration is suing Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington after they refused to issue confidential license plates for ICE agents. The Justice Department says other law enforcement agencies have long used similar plates for undercover work, and ICE wants them for arrests tied to Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Separately, people familiar with the matter say a Justice Department inquiry involving E. Jean Carroll is actually part of a broader investigation into a Reid Hoffman-backed nonprofit, American Future Republic. Carroll is not the subject of the probe, though the case is connected to her deposition and the group that helped fund her lawsuits against Trump. In Memphis, community observers say the Trump-ordered anti-crime task force has retaliated against people monitoring its activity, including tailing cars, surveilling homes, using excessive force, and falsely arresting one observer.

In the Middle East

Negotiators have reached a tentative cease-fire agreement between the United States and Iran, but it still needs approval from both governments before it takes effect. Oil prices slipped on the reports, with traders reacting to the possibility of a calmer Strait of Hormuz.

In Latin America and Africa

At least 52 guerrilla fighters were killed in clashes in Colombia’s Guaviare department, where rival armed groups are fighting for control of a strategic cocaine production and trafficking corridor near Barranco Colorado. In South Africa, anti-migrant protests are intensifying, with thousands of foreign workers facing growing pressure to leave the country.

In U.S. news

The Justice Department has opened a criminal perjury investigation into E. Jean Carroll, while former Attorney General Pam Bondi has agreed to a closed-door, transcribed interview about the Epstein files, not a sworn deposition. Donald Trump has also refiled his $10 billion defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The legal machine is very busy, which is one way to describe it.

Separately, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 for a Mississippi death row inmate in a case centered on racial bias in jury selection. And DHS is threatening to halt international flight processing at airports in sanctuary cities, with a New Jersey immigration protest potentially affecting some of the country’s busiest airports.

In a separate military development, U.S. forces struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two men, according to U.S. Southern Command.

In Europe

Several EU countries are pushing back against planned cuts to free emissions allowances under the bloc’s carbon trading system, warning the reductions are too steep for industries like steel, cement, chemicals and aluminium. Brussels is also revamping its Chips Act, shifting toward boosting demand for semiconductors, especially for AI use, while continuing to chase the familiar goal of tech sovereignty.

In the Middle East

U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and begin talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but the deal still needs President Trump’s approval.

Climate and economy

The UN says there is a high chance global temperatures will hit record levels between 2026 and 2030, reinforcing what has become a persistent and unwelcome forecast.

And in Latin America, Argentina recorded the lowest foreign direct investment among the region’s largest economies in 2025.

In court and politics

A man has been found guilty of murdering university student Henry Nowak in Southampton. Prosecutors said the 18-year-old was killed while walking home after a night out last December. In a separate case, a jury hearing the trial of former MP Donaldson was told by a witness that she had been abused from a very young age. He has pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges against him, including rape.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom said he will seek a 100% tax on any money Californians receive from President Donald Trump’s so-called anti-weaponization fund.

In business and tech

The European Commission has fined Temu €200 million over illegal products on its platform, saying the company failed to properly account for the risk of unsafe goods. Regulators pointed to items such as baby toys and faulty chargers.

Meta has been laying off thousands of workers as it pushes further into artificial intelligence, and reports say it even experimented with measuring AI use when assessing engineering output.

The FTC is warning about phishing scams that arrive as fake digital invitations, using the look of services like Evite and Paperless Post. The messages are circulating during graduation and summer party season, and they can steal information from people who think they are opening a harmless invite.

In Britain

Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn warned that Britain could end up with a “lost generation” if youth unemployment and labour-market detachment keep rising. He said the share of young people not in work, training, or education could climb sharply over the next six years.

Separately, French activists have launched a legal challenge against a planned £160 million detention centre near Dunkirk, which is intended to support Labour’s migrant deal with France. The appeal could delay the project, though construction can continue for now.

In the Middle East

Israel has carried out strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon after issuing large-scale evacuation orders covering parts of the country. The military told residents to leave areas amounting to about 17% of Lebanon.

In Europe

A hot spell across western Europe is still intensifying. Spain is seeing near-August temperatures in May, France is dealing with heat tied to at least some weather-related deaths, and Paris residents have been heading to the Saint-Martin canal to cool off even though swimming there is banned. Public health warnings are doing the usual work of trying to outrun common sense.

In Britain, the bank holiday heat has also been linked to several teen drowning deaths in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Safety groups are urging people to treat open water as a real risk, not a scenic invitation.

In the Middle East

The U.S. and Iran are trading strikes again around the Strait of Hormuz and Bandar Abbas, with Iran saying it hit an American base and the U.S. responding with strikes on Iranian military sites. Tehran says there were no casualties or damage from the latest U.S. action. The exchange comes as tensions remain high and any talk of a deal seems to be moving at the speed of a diplomatic pothole.

Separately, West Bank graduates are facing a collapsing job market, with youth unemployment among degree holders nearing 40 percent. The economy is offering a harsh lesson in how little a diploma can protect you when the broader system is broken.

In business and work

Webflow is laying off staff as it shifts more work toward artificial intelligence, and workers were reportedly taken by surprise. That is becoming a familiar management sentence across the tech sector, right after the part where everyone is told this is about efficiency.

In Birmingham, the city council has been fined nearly half a million pounds for repeatedly breaching its own Clean Air Zone rules with its vehicle fleet. The council says it is replacing vehicles, but a sizeable chunk of the fleet is still non-compliant.

In other news

A school fire in Kenya has killed 16 pupils, police say, and search and rescue work is still under way. Officials say the casualty count has not yet been fully confirmed, and the focus remains on finding out exactly what happened.

Australia has charged an alleged ISIL-linked woman after her return from Syria, part of the broader repatriation of women and children who had spent years in camps without trial.

In U.S. entertainment

Matthew Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, has been sentenced to three years in prison after a Los Angeles court found he played a central role in the actor’s ketamine addiction and injected him with the fatal dose. It is a grim end to a case that keeps widening around Perry’s death, and it is not getting any lighter with time.

In Pennsylvania

Upper Merion Township is now the latest place to discover that a proposed data center campus can turn a public meeting into a full-contact event. The hearing on MLP Ventures’ eight-data-center plan drew standing-room-only crowds, overflow rooms filled up, and residents packed the lobby to object to concerns about power demand, water use, air pollution, and noise. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition against the project, which is a strong sign the neighborhood is not exactly treating this like a routine zoning item.

Philadelphia police are also investigating a string of violent incidents. In Fairmount Park, officers heard gunfire and then stopped a Jeep with multiple bullet holes, where two people were found shot inside. In Northeast Philadelphia, a 15-year-old boy was injured in a separate shooting Wednesday evening. And on the Lehigh River, police say a raft overturned around 5 p.m. Wednesday, leaving several people stranded in the water before the search was concluded.

Separately, sources say detectives working a suitcase death case recovered evidence that led them back to a residence, where they believe the man was killed before his body was moved.

In tech and business

A federal complaint accuses a Google software engineer of insider trading tied to Polymarket, alleging he used confidential, nonpublic company information to make trades. The Justice Department says the case was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York.

OpenAI says it will expand AI-based cyber defense cooperation with the South Korean government, public agencies, and companies in key industries. Meanwhile, Patagonia has filed a trademark suit against environmentalist drag performer Pattie Gonia, saying it wants $1 plus legal fees and had no real appetite for the fight, which is a very corporate way to say the lawyers have already taken over the room.

In international news

The U.S. carried out strikes on Iranian targets for a second time in three days, even as a fragile ceasefire remains in place and negotiations continue to try to end the three-month war.

In Northern Ireland, pastor Clive Johnston is appealing his conviction for preaching near Causeway Hospital, where buffer-zone rules restrict activity around abortion clinics and hospitals. Johnston was fined £450 after being found guilty of attempting to influence people in the restricted area, even though judges accepted he did not mention abortion. His legal team argues the ruling sets a dangerous precedent for free speech and religious expression.

Australia has filed a $2 billion lawsuit against 3M over PFAS contamination linked to firefighting foam used at dozens of defence sites. Separately, Australia has charged a woman linked to ISIS with terrorism offences after her return from Syria.

In tech and security

Google Threat Intelligence says Chinese-language phishing services are using AI, encrypted messaging, and real-time one-time-passcode interception to get around multifactor authentication, then loading stolen payment cards into attacker-controlled digital wallets for fraud around the world. In a separate move, Sonar bought startup Gitar to add LLM-based code review and verification to its software governance tools. And cybersecurity experts are still pressing the White House to create a federal process for working with frontier AI companies on safety risks, after the administration shelved an executive order that would have done it.

In U.S. politics

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll over whether she committed perjury in testimony related to her civil cases against Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Jill Biden said in a CBS interview that she thought Joe Biden might have been having a stroke during the 2024 debate, a blunt reminder that one disastrous performance can outlive the campaign it helped sink.

In foreign affairs and public health

The U.S. military carried out new strikes in Iran, targeting a site it said posed a threat to American forces and commercial traffic. Separately, Uganda has closed its border with Congo amid rising suspected cases of Bundibugyo Ebola, a move that cuts against World Health Organization guidance and reflects mounting fear over the outbreak.

In science

Astrobiologists say NASA may be missing subtle signs of alien life because its current instruments are tuned to detect only certain kinds of biosignatures. Space remains a place where the questions keep arriving faster than the answers.