Iniaes

In U.S. politics

More than 80 House members, from both parties, are urging the Trump administration to drop any plan to send 1,100 Afghan evacuees to third countries it considers unsafe. The Afghans worked with U.S. forces during the war and are stranded in Qatar while awaiting relocation. Lawmakers have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reconsider the proposal.

Trump also said he canceled planned U.S. strikes in Iran after Iranian leaders approved the final points needed to end the war, though that claim has not been independently confirmed.

In U.S. courts and crime

A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to murdering the top Democrat in the state House and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, after prosecutors said he posed as a police officer and targeted lawmakers in a nighttime attack. He entered the plea to avoid the federal death penalty.

In California, a Canadian mother has sued OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her 24-year-old daughter to kill herself and failed to trigger safeguards despite repeated suicidal conversations. In Kentucky, a woman was convicted of second-degree manslaughter after prosecutors said she crossed the center line in a pickup truck and killed another driver in a head-on crash.

In Britain

Britain’s defense secretary has resigned, saying the government will not spend enough on the military. That follows the departure of armed forces minister Al Carns, who quit hours later, leaving Keir Starmer under more pressure than a spending review ever promised to handle.

In Europe

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is defending the bloc’s diplomatic service as capitals, led by Paris, talk up a possible overhaul of the EEAS. The proposals range from trimming the High Representative’s powers to expanding them, which is a neat way for governments to describe a fight over who gets to run the shop.

Britain’s Hinkley Point C nuclear project could slip by as much as five years in a dispute over fish protections in the Severn Estuary, while Portugal has triggered the EU’s budget safeguard clause to help cover energy-related costs from the crisis. Different problems, same continent, and both involve the familiar European habit of discovering that major plans are harder once they meet the real world.

In the Middle East

Israel has expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon even as ceasefire talks remain stalled. The fighting continues while diplomats keep pushing for a halt, slowly and under fire.

India says three of its mariners were killed when U.S. forces struck the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello after Washington said the ship had violated its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. New Delhi called it a tragic incident.

In business and tech

Reuters says the Trump family has added at least $2.3 billion to its fortune through crypto ventures, while risking relatively little of its own money and leaving investors with the losses. The modern financial innovation here is mostly the transfer of enthusiasm from one balance sheet to another.

SpaceX is preparing for what could be the biggest stock market debut ever, with a reported valuation of $1.78 trillion and at least $75 billion in shares on offer. Analysts are already warning that the price may have outrun the underlying business, which is never a thrilling sign, even in markets.

In U.S. politics and policy

A top election forecaster has shifted three Senate races toward Democrats, moving Alaska to toss-up and North Carolina to lean Democratic, as the party tries to improve its map for November. It is a modest change, but in a tight Senate year, modest changes matter.

An ACLU lawsuit says Florida police wrongly arrested Robert Dillon for attempted child abduction after a facial recognition match from grainy surveillance images. Prosecutors later dropped the charge once his attorney produced work records showing he was elsewhere, and the suit seeks damages and tighter limits on police use of facial recognition.

Weather and science

The Climate Prediction Center says El Niño has officially begun, and this one could rank among the strongest on record. It may affect weather across every state, with the full impacts still building.

Other news

Three people were killed when a car hit a school cycling group near Vogelwaarde in the Netherlands, close to the Belgian border. Authorities have not yet released the children’s ages.

Philadelphia has opened the largest World Cup fan festival site among the host cities, with a setup in Fairmount Park for fans to watch and celebrate the tournament.

In the Middle East

The US and Iran exchanged another round of strikes, and Tehran said a ceasefire was now “practically meaningless” as the crisis widened. Iranian attacks were reported toward Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, while India’s shipping minister said three Indian seafarers were killed in a US strike on an oil tanker earlier this week. A sea drone was also used to rescue two US Army aviators after they were apparently shot down by Iran.

In Belfast

Police said 16 people have been arrested and two charged after a second night of disorder in Belfast, with 12 officers injured, including some hit by petrol bombs. Residents say they are afraid to stay in their homes, and one nurse was confronted by masked men on her way to work. A van was also reported set alight and pushed toward a house.

In Britain

Jess Turnbull, a 19-year-old police officer, has died from injuries suffered in a crash. The chief constable said she had so much ahead of her in her life and career.

John Healey has resigned from the Cabinet over a dispute on defence funding, saying the government’s investment plan falls short of what Britain needs. In his resignation letter, he argued the settlement leaves defence spending at 2.68% of GDP by 2030, below the 3% he says is needed to meet rising threats.

In health

A new ovarian cancer drug, mirvetuximab soravtansine, has been approved for NHS use in England for certain patients with treatment-resistant disease. It is the first new drug for hard-to-treat ovarian cancer in more than 20 years, and trials found it helped delay progression and improve survival compared with more chemotherapy.

In tech and work

A new survey says most workers expect AI to cut jobs rather than create them, as companies adopt the technology more aggressively and layoffs begin to bite. Separately, UK regulators have ordered Google to change its AI-powered news summaries, in a move that could shift more power back toward publishers.

In North America

Canada has introduced legislation that would bar children under 16 from using social media unless platforms meet new safety requirements. If passed, it would put the country among the strictest on online access for young users.

In sports business

The 2026 World Cup is already running into trouble before a ball is kicked, with visa denials, longer inspections and disputed entries causing problems at borders, consular offices and US airports. ITV, meanwhile, says the expanded tournament will be its most lucrative sports event ever, with ad revenue projected at about 30% more than Euro 2024.

In aviation

One year after the Air India crash that killed 260 people, the sole survivor says he is still living with the trauma and remains frustrated by the lack of a clear explanation for what caused the disaster.

In Belfast

Anti-immigration protests continued in Belfast, where police used a water cannon on demonstrators after days of unrest triggered by a knife attack that left one man with life-changing injuries. The slogan “Take Our Country Back” has spread across social media, and the row has now pulled in outside voices, including criticism that Elon Musk helped inflame tensions online.

In business

UK drivers facing complaints about car finance could be waiting until 2027 for compensation, after the Financial Conduct Authority warned that legal challenges may delay its redress scheme. Four firms, including Volkswagen Financial Services UK and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK, have launched action, and the regulator says its scheme is still the quickest route.

European markets opened cautiously ahead of an expected European Central Bank rate hike, as investors weighed inflation pressures, including higher energy costs linked to the Iran conflict.

In the Middle East

The International Atomic Energy Agency has demanded that Iran provide information on its nuclear stockpile, after Tehran denounced a US-backed resolution as politically motivated and said it could complicate ceasefire talks.

Meanwhile, the US and Iran exchanged strikes across the Middle East for a second day. Iran says it responded by targeting American assets in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain, while Bahrain reported damage in its capital overnight.

Separate to that, the US military attacked a Palau-flagged oil tanker after accusing it of failing to comply with directions, and three Indian sailors were killed in the strike.

In culture

Barcelona’s Sagrada Família has finally reached the height Antoni Gaudí intended, with completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ bringing the basilica closer than ever to the design he left unfinished in 1926.

In Philadelphia and South Jersey

Philadelphia police say a man was fatally shot in an apparent parking dispute. Investigators say the shooter called police and claimed self-defense. In a separate case, police released surveillance video of suspects wanted in the fatal shooting of a Penn State student in South Philadelphia.

In Wildwood, police say the body of Davoris Carter, who disappeared during a class trip, was recovered on a beach in Cape May.

In Washington

Senator Chuck Grassley is pressing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to develop a vaccine for New World screwworm, after the parasite returned to the U.S. for the first time in 60 years. Separately, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is warning Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick not to soften penalties in anti-dumping cases, saying weaker enforcement would hand an advantage to foreign companies that do not play by the rules.

In international security

The US says a second day of strikes on Iran is complete, while Tehran claims it targeted a US base in Bahrain. Washington says commercial shipping is still moving through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing back on Iran’s claim that the waterway has been closed.

In Moscow, a senior Kremlin military figure, Lieutenant General Damir Davydov, was killed when a BMW X3 exploded in Balashikha. Reports say investigators are looking at whether a photo of the car’s number plate posted online by his son helped identify the target. A second car bomb was later found and neutralised in southwest Moscow.

In tech and security

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is urging legislation that would force tech companies to publish data on stolen devices, in an effort to make stolen phones harder to resell and less useful to thieves.

And Max Hodak, the former Neuralink president now leading Science Corp., says China is moving ahead in brain-computer interface research, with the first commercially available BCI there launching this week. He warns that unless the U.S. speeds up medical research and regulation, advanced neurotechnology could increasingly be developed and delivered in China instead.

In the Middle East

U.S. Central Command says its latest airstrikes were a response to what it called Iran’s “unwarranted and continued aggression.” Iran, for its part, said it hit ships in the Strait of Hormuz after those strikes. The back-and-forth leaves one of the world’s most important shipping lanes looking, once again, far too central to other people’s messaging.

In East Asia

South Korea’s National Cyber Security Center says North Korea is using agentic AI to scale cyberattacks, taking advantage of aging systems and newly exposed vulnerabilities. Separately, Taiwan is weighing tighter controls on AI chip exports to China, including possible criminal penalties for smuggling advanced hardware based on Nvidia chips.

In South Korea, the audit agency says farm policy funds helped only five of 71 struggling agricultural companies recover, while also increasing their dependence on public money. Senior U.S. human rights officials visiting South Korea also met with families of South Koreans detained or abducted by North Korea, keeping the long-running detainee issue in view, if still unresolved.

In business and industry

Samsung Heavy has finalized a $2.9 billion contract for the Delfin floating LNG project in Washington, a step toward what would be the first U.S. floating LNG export project. HD Hyundai has also signed an agreement with UBC to research AI-based ship design, autonomous navigation, and advanced naval vessels. Heavy industry, with a side order of automation, which is exactly where all the optimism and all the liability are heading.

In science and climate

Researchers using a submersible have mapped a vast whale fossil field in the Diamantina Zone of the southeastern Indian Ocean. The seafloor site stretches about 1,200 kilometers, contains 476 whale fossils and five active whale falls, and includes remains dating back roughly 5.3 million years. The find could offer new clues about whale evolution and deep-sea ecosystems.

Separate climate research says Earth’s energy imbalance, the amount of solar energy the planet absorbs versus what it sends back into space, has doubled in recent decades to record levels. Most of the excess heat is going into the oceans, intensifying warming, sea-level rise, and marine heatwaves. A related study says offshore wind zones in southern Australia should stay broadly reliable over the next 30 to 50 years, even as climate change shifts some wind patterns.

In U.S. politics

President Trump said he is happy with inflation at a three-year high, even as prices continue to squeeze households and rattle some of his own allies.

In Maine, Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has gone on the offensive with an ad attacking the political establishment, saying it has a “love of Jeffrey Epstein and a hatred of me.” Separately, Bill Gates told lawmakers in closed-door testimony that Epstein wanted a personal relationship with him and that he did not reciprocate.

In the Middle East

Trump said he ordered a secret U.S. operation to help move more than 100 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, part of an effort to protect commercial shipping in the region.

In Lebanon, an Israeli strike hit a car in Sidon, killing two people and setting it on fire.

In courts and violent crime

A British man convicted on nine charges, including rape and sexual assault, remains a fugitive in Bosnia after being wrongly freed from HMP Wormwood Scrubs. Prosecutors say Bernadin Dedic was released after a court official mixed up his digital file and entered him as granted bail.

In Louisiana, former mayor Misty Roberts has been sentenced to 90 days after being convicted of statutory rape and indecent behavior with a juvenile. She had faced up to 17 years.

Three people linked to ISIS ideology have been convicted in South Africa over the 2018 murders of British botanists Rod and Rachel Saunders. The case crossed borders, and the financial trail helped lead investigators to the suspects.

In Belfast, a man has been charged with attempted murder after a knife attack, as unrest continued in Northern Ireland for a second night. Police and community leaders have condemned the disturbances.

In public safety and regulation

The FBI searched a Southern California aerospace facility after a chemical tank incident that triggered a mass evacuation last month. Authorities say the warrant covers records tied to methyl methacrylate, which overheated and forced about 50,000 people to leave amid fears of an explosion.

In Cuba

Cuba says U.S. sanctions are blocking UN aid deliveries and worsening the island’s most severe economic and energy crisis in decades. Officials there blame the pressure campaign for making an already fragile situation worse.

In business and culture

Primary Wave Music has struck a deal with the estate of Donna Summer, giving the company rights to work with her catalog, recordings, name, and image. Summer’s run of disco-era hits, including I Feel Love, Bad Girls, and Hot Stuff, still has plenty of commercial life left in it, which is the point of these deals.

In France, cinema group MK2 is opening its capital to the public for the first time in its 52-year history as part of a $5.8 million fundraising drive. The family-run company, known for its arthouse theaters in Paris, says the move will help support future growth after a strong Cannes showing.

In tech and science

Apple’s macOS 27 beta is causing problems for Asahi Linux on Apple Silicon, with the boot tools no longer recognizing the Linux partition properly. The Asahi team says the partition is still there and no data has been lost, but users are being told to hold off on upgrading until the issue is fixed.

Researchers at UNSW Sydney say they have used ultrasonic waves to brew espresso-strength coffee with room-temperature water, cutting energy use by as much as 75 percent. The machine still needs to produce coffee, which remains one of humanity’s more persistent forms of self-importance.

In U.S. news

Sen. Adam Schiff says he will launch an inquiry into whether National Park Service entrance fees are being diverted to President Trump’s “vanity projects.” Several senators have also written to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, saying visitors pay those fees to support the parks, not to decorate political egos.

Bill Cody, the longtime Grand Ole Opry announcer and Country Radio Hall of Famer, has died at 67. He spent more than three decades hosting WSM Radio’s Coffee, Country and Cody and became one of the most recognizable voices in country music broadcasting.

International news

The U.K. is weighing a transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, even as the territory includes the strategically important U.K.-U.S. base at Diego Garcia. U.S. officials want uninterrupted access, and reports say the Trump administration has even explored buying the islands, while the British bill tied to the deal remains frozen in Parliament.

In brief

Tyler Mane, the former wrestler and actor, says he has breast cancer and wants to draw attention to a disease that is often diagnosed late in men. In Belfast, Elon Musk has rejected claims that he incited unrest, while police say a man has appeared in court charged with attempted murder after Monday’s knife attack.

In the Middle East

President Trump says Iran has now gone too far and will “pay the price” after missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Iran said it would reassess diplomatic engagement with Washington, while Gulf neighbors and Jordan activated air defenses. No immediate damage to the bases was reported.

In Britain

Keir Starmer condemned the violence in Belfast as shocking and unacceptable after overnight unrest linked to protests over a man charged with attempted murder. Fires broke out across the city, including a bus set alight and cars torched, and residents were evacuated as firefighters dealt with dozens of incidents. Police are investigating, and Starmer said those responsible, and anyone who encouraged the disorder, will face the full force of the law.

Separately, the House of Lords has approved regulations to double the fee local authorities pay to process Clean Air Zone transactions, from £2 to £4, starting in September 2026. Ministers say it is about cost recovery, critics call it another stealth tax on motorists, and the charging period has now been extended to 2031.

In business

Anant Ambani, the Reliance executive director and heir to one of Asia’s richest families, is linked to a reported $100 million transfer to a Texas startup in which Donald Trump Jr. secretly held a stake. The deal came four months after Trump Jr. was seen dancing with Ambani in India.

In the U.S.

Rep. Nancy Mace has lost South Carolina’s Republican governor primary by a wide margin, ending a rise that once made her look like a serious force in the party. Former aides and allies describe a run marked by opportunism, attention-seeking, and repeated clashes with people who might have been useful if she’d been less committed to the performance of politics.

In tech and courts

Elon Musk’s xAI and SpaceX are facing a Mississippi lawsuit from residents who say a power plant serving nearby data centers has brought relentless noise and vibrations to their area. The federal case, filed in Oxford, could cover more than 10,000 people.

Separately, Airbus and Quantum Systems say they are exploring drone interceptors for military helicopters, starting with the H145M.

In Belfast

A stabbing in north Belfast left one resident fighting for his life and helped ignite anti-immigration clashes in the area. A Ukrainian family who had already fled Russia’s invasion said they were forced to move again after rioters damaged their home, and the father praised for helping stop the knife attack has now described what he saw.

In the Middle East

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has launched retaliatory strikes after U.S. attacks, hitting an airbase in Jordan that hosts U.S. forces, along with sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. Authorities in Bahrain reported an explosion in Manama after an Iranian missile strike, while analysts warn the exchange could keep escalating.

In Ukraine and Russia

Ukrainian drones have struck targets in Sevastopol and at Russian oil refineries in a multiday campaign that has killed a rail worker, closed the Chongar road bridge, and worsened a fuel shortage. It is the kind of pressure campaign that leaves both militaries and fuel buyers with less room to breathe.

Other news

In Florida, a hospital says a Palantir AI tool helped save nearly 900 lives over four years by spotting sepsis earlier than staff did. In Louisiana, Victor Rivas was bitten by an alligator after running into a swamp during a suspected drunk-driving stop, and bodycam video has now made the rounds.

Separately, a former Air Canada captain is accused of flying for years without the proper license, while the airline says recurring training meant safety was not compromised. And in Europe, Audi says the new Q7 will launch there with diesel engines only, for now, which somehow still sounds more 2014 than 2026.