Iniaes

In world news

At least 40 people were killed when a passenger bus lost control and plunged into a rocky ravine in southwest Pakistan, near the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In France’s Aude department, firefighters and aircraft are battling a major wildfire that has already burned about 900 hectares, with evacuees held in emergency shelters.

In Ukraine, Russian overnight strikes killed four people, coming a day after a major missile and drone attack on Kyiv. The capital is observing a day of mourning.

Outside the UN headquarters in New York, a man holding a Tibetan flag died after setting himself on fire. A campaigner described him as a tireless advocate for Tibet.

In security and defense

Japan’s defense minister says 38 companies have said they can build a drone interceptor, and he wants one in the air within weeks, not years. The government is moving quickly on the project, which is meant to shoot down other drones.

Separately, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has handed over JS Nagara, Japan’s 10th Mogami-class frigate, to the Ministry of Defense. The ship is designed to run with less than half the crew of Japan’s older destroyers, which is one way to keep a fleet modern without pretending the budget is made of elastic.

In Taiwan, a lawmaker said one military unit that once had nine administrative vehicles can now use only one after a ban on Chinese parts. The claim came up during questioning in the Legislative Yuan.

In crime and the courts

The National Crime Agency says it has identified 270 people linked to abuse websites and made eight arrests in an investigation into a network of men accused of drugging and raping women. That is a grim picture, and it points to a wider online ecosystem, not just isolated offenders.

In the US, this week’s federal appeals court roundup included rulings on property rights, immigration detention, free exercise claims, journalist access, police qualified immunity, and a few other disputes that keep the lower courts busy and the lawyers billing.

In sport

Chris Froome has confirmed his retirement from professional cycling. The four-time Tour de France winner, who also won the Giro d’Italia and twice won the Vuelta a España, said a fall last summer made clear his career was over.

In U.S. news

In Philadelphia, a man riding an electric scooter was killed after being hit by a car at Margaret Street and Aramingo Avenue. Police say witnesses reported the scooter rider went through a red light, while the driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating.

Also in the region, the Coast Guard is increasing patrols on the Delaware River for Philadelphia’s Fourth of July weekend, with major events and extreme heat adding to an already busy security operation. More than 35 agencies are involved, and officials are urging boaters to stay alert and stay sober.

And in Trenton, residents of a senior apartment complex say they have been stuck without working air conditioning through a dangerous heat wave, with indoor temperatures climbing into the 90s. Tenants say the outage has dragged on for weeks, and some with health conditions say ambulances and firefighters have already responded to heat-related emergencies.

In world news

President Trump called it “ridiculous” for the U.S. to keep its current level of support for NATO.

Iran’s military has warned ships not to use unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz, one day after Qatar said indirect U.S.-Iran talks were making positive progress. The warning raises the temperature in one of the world’s most sensitive shipping lanes.

In Turkey, comedian Deniz Göktaş has been detained after a stand-up video posted to YouTube prompted investigations over alleged insults to Islam and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Health and environment

The CDC says more than 120 people fell ill in a norovirus outbreak aboard a Princess Cruises ship.

In Australia, the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain has been found on the mainland for the first time after a wild brown skua in Western Australia died from the virus in late June. Officials are now assessing the risk to wildlife, agriculture, and people.

Odds and ends

A retired volunteer at London’s National Archives has uncovered a rare 1776 printing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, one of only 11 known Exeter copies and the only one identified outside the United States. The document has now been conserved and will go on display in the Archives’ Revolution 250 exhibition.

In U.S. news

President Donald Trump said Americans should thank him for rising 401(k) balances, while new financial disclosures showed his own wealth rising to about $2.2 billion over the past year.

Authorities in Ohio are still releasing details after 16 children were rescued from a home neighbors say had appeared abandoned for years. Officials described the conditions as horrific, and the case is now moving into the usual grim phase of trying to sort out what happened and who failed them.

The Trump administration has also indicted Olympic athlete David Hearn over vandalism at the Reflecting Pool, with prosecutors saying he could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Critics are already questioning the legitimacy of the case.

In health and safety

A Princess Cruises ship docked in San Francisco is dealing with a norovirus outbreak, according to the CDC. So far, 102 passengers and 23 crew members aboard the Ruby Princess have reported symptoms.

In cybersecurity

This week’s security roundup is packed, which is rarely a comforting sign. It includes a browser-only ransomware path linked to DeepSeek, lower trust in AI penetration testing after false negatives, a CISA warning about BlueHammer in ransomware attacks, Mustang Panda targeting India, a Tata breach that exposed iPhone 18 data, 950 Oracle EBS systems left exposed, and Amazon agreeing to pay a U.S. Federal Trade Commission penalty over fraud records.

Separately, SOCRadar says the FortiBleed credential-harvesting operation is linked to the INC Ransom and Lynx groups. The firm says the access broker compromised more than 430,000 FortiGate firewalls and helped enable attacks on governments, critical infrastructure, and major companies.

Internationally

Monaco police say they are searching for a suspect in Monday night’s bombing after a blast seriously injured Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev, Anna Nasobina, and a 13-year-old boy. Investigators believe the suspect is a Ukrainian woman in her 30s who may have dressed as a man to plant the device, and an Interpol Red Notice is expected.

The BBC visited Bandar Abbas to see how life is settling after the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The port city is described as being in an uneasy calm.

A South Korean analyst says North Korea’s new Choe Hyon destroyer could complicate allied naval operations and make it harder for the U.S. to reinforce the region.

Odds and ends

A volunteer has found a rare copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in archives in the United Kingdom, one of only 11 known to exist.

In Ukraine

Russia launched what Kyiv officials called the largest attack on the city since the war began, firing ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones. At least 25 people were killed and scores more were injured. It was a grim reminder that Moscow still has a deep appetite for escalation, even when the target is a capital city full of civilians.

In the U.S.

A federal grand jury in Washington has indicted former Olympian David Hearn over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Prosecutors say he faces a felony destruction-of-property charge, while Hearn says he only touched loose material and did not vandalize anything. Separate from that, a federal appeals court blocked an order that would have forced the National Park Service to restore signs and exhibits removed by the Trump administration.

In business and crime

A round of crypto and financial fraud cases brought a mix of prison terms, arrests, and enforcement actions across several countries. Among the bigger cases, a Chinese fraudster was sentenced to 30 years, while other actions touched Bithumb, alleged market manipulators, SIM swappers, and suspected miners. The industry remains committed to proving that “trust us” is a very flexible business model.

In China’s military buildup

Chinese state media aired footage of a PLAAF exercise showing dozens of Y-20B heavy transport aircraft lined up for takeoff, alongside refueling drills involving J-20 fighters and simulated airdrops. The Y-20B, which entered service in 2023 with WS-20 engines, is presented as having greater range and payload capacity, and it now serves as the basis for tanker and airborne early warning variants. Production is reportedly moving faster than comparable programs in the U.S. or Russia.

In cybersecurity

A suspected member of Scattered Spider has been extradited from Finland to the United States. Peter Stokes, 19, a dual U.S.-Estonian citizen, faces a six-count indictment that includes an alleged attempt to shake down a jewelry retailer for $8 million.

Separately, MeetingTV is suing Palo Alto Networks over a Koi Security threat report that it says wrongly linked its infrastructure to a Chinese cybercrime operation. Palo Alto says the report is protected cybersecurity analysis, not a false statement.

In U.S. politics

President Donald Trump says he plans a long July Fourth speech even as forecasters warn of temperatures around 107 degrees. Health experts are warning about heatstroke risk.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed with protesters at a Washington event tied to the administration’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, where he praised the National Guard and was joined by Stephen Miller and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Trump’s newly filed financial disclosure, showing more than $1.4 billion last year from family crypto ventures, is now complicating Senate talks on digital assets. Democrats want limits on officials profiting from crypto, while Republicans are still trying to move the bill this month.

In U.S. business

U.S. job growth slowed in June, and the labor force participation rate fell to 61.5 percent, the lowest since March 2021. Hospitality also lost jobs, even with the World Cup in the background.

In the Northeast

Parts of the Northeast are bracing for a dangerous heat wave heading into the July 4 holiday weekend. Officials are warning that conditions could become hazardous across the region.

In Philadelphia

Police say a man who was armed was shot by an officer outside St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Authorities have not released further details.

In a separate Philadelphia case, Azzubair Outen-Fleming, 16, has been arrested in Colorado in connection with the shooting death of Penn State student Billy Schmidt. Police say a second teen suspect, Kaiseem Smith, remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Sources also say the mother of one suspect has been detained, after a stepfather was already held for allegedly helping him avoid police.

In the Middle East

Iran is renewing threats over the Strait of Hormuz, warning vessels to stay on approved routes even as indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Doha ended with what mediators called cautious progress. The next round of talks will wait until after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral begins on Saturday.

In Europe

A leaked European Commission document says Hungary ran a diplomatic intelligence network that targeted EU staff from 2012 to 2018. The disclosure has renewed pressure on Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi and prompted fresh calls for his resignation.

In defense technology

The first U.S. hypersonic missile program is facing another delay, reportedly because of unresolved production problems. The missile is meant to fly more than five times the speed of sound, which is handy in theory and less so when the production line is having a moment.

In Ukraine

Kyiv is mourning after what officials called Russia’s largest drone and missile attack on the capital, with at least 18 people killed. The scale of the strike is grimly consistent with Moscow’s habit of treating civilians as a messaging platform.

In the U.K.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a formal apology to victims of the forced adoption scandal, calling it a stain on the country’s history. He said mothers were wrongly judged unfit, children were taken from them, and the harm can’t be undone, only acknowledged.

Separately, the Home Secretary says the government accepts the inquiry’s finding that fundamental failures contributed to the Southport attack.

In the U.S.

A Massachusetts truck driver has been charged over a crash that killed a Pennsylvania state trooper on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County. In a separate case, the FBI says some ransom notes in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case are still being treated as potentially genuine.

And congressional Republicans are reportedly considering a fairly novel tactic, using the prospect of Trump administration probes to give a future House minority more leverage in investigations. That is one way to plan for the next election, and not a subtle one.

In business and technology

The AI data center boom is forcing a rethink of climate targets, with big tech companies reporting higher emissions as electricity demand climbs. Amazon says its emissions have risen for two straight years and are likely to keep rising for years, while the EU is reportedly easing some climate rules to speed data center construction.

In Germany, researchers say they have set a new record for tandem solar cell efficiency, reaching 25.5 percent in a certified device just over one square centimeter. They also scaled the design into a mini-module, which is the sort of unglamorous step that usually matters more than the headline number.

Elsewhere, plans to merge South Korea’s Lotte Cinema and Megabox have collapsed after Megabox owner JoongAng Group ran into a liquidity crisis. Principal Asset Management also says it plans to launch a Sharia-compliant U.S. private credit fund aimed at Gulf investors.

In rescue and crime news

Emergency crews in Venezuela are still trying to free Hernán Gil, who has been buried since the earthquakes eight days ago and is being kept on an IV drip while rescuers work. In the U.K., Shabir Ahmed, known to victims as “Daddy,” has been released from prison after serving a 22-year sentence.

In Europe

Portugal has extended its red heat warning through Sunday, with more districts added as the country faces extreme temperatures. The alert now covers a broad stretch of the country, and officials are warning of continuing dangerous conditions.

In Spain

Spain says unemployment fell to 2,291,982 in June, the first time it has dropped below 2.3 million since 2008. Social Security membership also hit a record high.

In Britain

Keir Starmer is set to formally apologise to victims of forced adoptions, a practice that saw thousands of babies taken from their mothers between 1949 and 1976. The apology is expected to acknowledge one of the country’s more painful and long-running abuses.

In the U.S.

New financial disclosures show Donald Trump was paid more than $10 million by Amazon for a documentary about Melania Trump. The filings also detailed cryptocurrency earnings, prompting fresh criticism over the overlap between political power, personal branding, and the ever-expanding side hustle.

Separately, two people were arrested after climbing the Empire State Building’s antenna, unfurling a peace banner, and appearing to get engaged. New York police were not moved by the romance.

In security and conflict

Finnish authorities have arrested an alleged member of the Scattered Spider cybercrime group, which has been linked to ransomware and extortion attacks on companies.

Meanwhile, Russia launched an overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens more. Ukrainian officials said residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged in the strike.

In tech and trade

The Trump administration has rolled back an emergency export ban that had cut foreign users off from advanced AI models. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed the change after behind-the-scenes talks in Washington.

In Pennsylvania and Delaware

Philadelphia police say one of the teens wanted in the killing of Penn State student Billy Schmidt has been arrested in Colorado, while a second suspect is still being sought.

In Wilmington, City Council President Ernest Congo is calling for the release of body camera video in the fatal police shooting of Kadir Skinner, as pressure grows for a clearer account of what happened.

And in Delaware, police say a 65-year-old man was killed Tuesday after a camel fell on him. That is not a sentence anyone expects to have to write in local news.

In weather

An extreme heat warning remains in effect for the Philadelphia region through Saturday. Temperatures are expected to hover near 100 degrees for the next three days, with humidity making it feel even worse.

In Europe and global security

German prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian suspect in the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. They allege a yacht was used in the sabotage operation and say the suspect led the team.

Separately, airlines and airports in Europe are warning that the new digital border system could cause severe delays over the summer travel peak, and they are urging officials to allow more flexibility.

In the Middle East

The United States and Iran held separate talks in Qatar and agreed to meet again, with both sides saying there was progress.

In religion

The Society of St. Pius X has consecrated four bishops in Écône, Switzerland, in defiance of Pope Leo XIV. Vatican officials had warned the move could trigger immediate excommunication, and the traditionalist group turned the event into a public challenge to the pope’s authority.

In crime and courts

A British man wanted in connection with the death of a Colombian model and influencer has been arrested in Ecuador after investigators said his alibi did not fit the timeline of the killing.

In education

New data show white British students now make up less than half of the student population at 27 UK universities. The figures have revived criticism over race-based scholarships and bursaries, and the argument is heading straight for the Equality Act, which still exists.

In public health

An 11-year-old boy in Canada has died of rabies after waking up with a bat on his face at a family cottage in northern Ontario. Health experts are warning that any direct contact with bats should be treated as a medical emergency.

In U.S. politics and courts

A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Postal Service cannot change how it handles ballot delivery to comply with a Trump executive order on voting by mail. That keeps election mail rules where they are for now, and answers the familiar question of whether a presidential order can simply rewrite how the mail works. It cannot, at least not this week.

Separately, a leaked dossier compiled by former MI6 Russia desk chief Christopher Steele claims Russian intelligence viewed Lord Mandelson as a “privileged contact” for decades. People close to Mandelson rejected the allegation as nonsense, saying he never acted improperly for Russia and has long criticised the Kremlin.

And Trump’s first flight on the new Air Force One, gifted by Qatar, has reopened the ethics debate around what kind of present a president can accept before the constitutional alarm bells start ringing.

In crime and public safety

In Massachusetts, prosecutors say DNA from a soda bottle helped identify Dianne Curry Peck as the mother of a newborn boy found dead in the woods in Mansfield in 1985. Peck, now 59, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Investigators reopened the case in 2022 and used genetic genealogy and trash DNA to connect her to the child, known for years as Baby Boy Doe.

In Washington state, a missing person case in Tacoma has turned into a homicide investigation after detectives found human remains on military property near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Police arrested two suspects, including an active-duty service member assigned to JBLM, after one allegedly led investigators to the site. The remains have not yet been identified.

In business and technology

South Korea’s June exports topped $100 billion for the first time, driven by strong demand for chips. Semiconductor shipments hit a record, and the country also posted a record trade surplus.

Michael Burry is warning that the AI stock rally may have run too far. He has disclosed new bets against Tesla and a major semiconductor ETF, and says some AI names could fall as much as 30 percent.

In Texas, Oklo’s Groves Isotope Test Reactor has cleared its final safety review from the U.S. Department of Energy. The agency will now conduct a readiness review before deciding whether to authorize fuel loading and startup testing, with first criticality expected in July 2026 if the process moves ahead.

In U.S. policy and the economy

Private payroll growth slowed in June, with ADP saying employers added 98,000 jobs, well below forecasts. Health care led the gains.

Separately, a Pew survey found 56 percent of U.S. adults support banning social media for people under 16, with 21 percent opposed and 23 percent unsure.

Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory also say they have developed a low-cost catalyst that can turn wasted methane into liquid fuel precursors, a possible step toward making flared or stranded gas easier to use.

In Washington and foreign policy

The U.S. Trade Representative says the United States will not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, though the pact remains in force for now while the remaining issues are sorted out, or until it expires on its own.

Vice President Vance said the U.S. could return to war with Iran if the current ceasefire collapses, while stressing that any renewed military action would need a defined purpose.

In the Middle East

Israeli drone fire near a hospital and fuel station in Gaza killed at least three people, according to Wafa, despite the ceasefire. The report says the strike hit near the facility and left people dead on the ground.

In brief

Minnesota’s Board of Pardons, including Gov. Tim Walz, granted a pardon to Tou Lue Vang, who was convicted of sexually abusing a child and faced deportation to Laos. The board said he expressed remorse, and he said the pardon could help him remain in the U.S. with his family.

Nicolás Maduro has been sued in U.S. court over alleged extrajudicial killings in Venezuela. A British court separately upheld the rejection of citizenship for a man identified as CT on national-security grounds, using closed evidence.