Bank of Japan raises interest rates to 31-year high amid Iran war inflation pressures

• Author Dylan Muggleton analyzes the feasibility of a "grand bargain" or grand plan to stabilize the current global geopolitical environment. • The analysis argues that such a deal is unrealistic because modern competition occurs across multiple simultaneous domains, including technology, energy, security, and economics.

• President Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Evian-les-Bains, France, during the G7 summit to discuss a deal to end the U.S. conflict with Iran. • Trump described the agreement as a potential breakthrough for global security, though some lingering questions remain before the formal signing.

• UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to combat food insecurity and famine risks in Somalia. • The funding arrives as humanitarian partners report that many newly displaced families have lost their belongings and tents, forcing them to rely on relatives and friends.

• President Donald Trump began his visit to the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, by praising a new agreement intended to end the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. • During a meeting on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump described the deal as a potential breakthrough for global security.

• The U.S. and Iran are reportedly nearing a peace deal that would effectively end their current conflict. • Key terms of the agreement include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade.

• Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit in June 2026 to discuss regional stability and diplomatic cooperation. • The meeting serves as a critical test of China's strategic claim that it can lead and maintain a "stable" new global order.

• A peace deal is expected to be signed this Friday to end military operations across all fronts, including conflicts in Lebanon. • Donald Trump has announced that the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz will be re-opened as part of the resolution.

With election denialists installed in key positions, officials using series of measures to change voting rulesThe Trump administration is waging war on voting rights using justice department lawsuits, FBI investigations, and an executive order to limit voting by mail, moves mirroring the US president’s false claims he lost the 2020 election due to voting fraud, say election experts and ex-officials.Since Donald Trump began his second term, numerous 2020 election denialists have been installed in key agencies such as the DoJ, the FBI and elsewhere to pursue widely discredited claims of fraud, which can intimidate election workers and voters in swing states that Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020. Continue reading...

Hania Ahmed, 9, died after Punjab police opened fire on suspected robbers as well as her family in ChakwalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe father of a nine-year-old Australian girl killed in Pakistan on holiday has demanded justice and to “reduce the harm” of a controversial new police wing whose officers opened fire with machine guns in response to a robbery.Hania Ahmed and her family were visiting her great-uncle Ali Ejaz last week at his home in Chakwal, Punjab province, wrapping up family visits. Continue reading...

Josh Hokit’s comment, made after the match at the White House, was condemned widely, but not by the presidentDonald Trump is facing growing pressure to condemn an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor who used a White House appearance to push a sexist, racist and transphobic conspiracy theory about former first lady Michelle Obama.At a UFC event on the south lawn on Sunday, the US president’s 80th birthday, Josh Hokit, a fighter, shouted into the microphone in front of Trump: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?” Continue reading...

The new DC mayor will face a slew of challenges in the city, including how to handle the Trump administrationThere’s a transplant from Mar-a-Lago at the center of DCs mayoral primary race on Tuesday, but his name is nowhere on the ballot.For the first time in more than a decade, Washington DC will have a new mayor this year as the city faces concerns about how to address public safety, housing affordability, and increased federal immigration enforcement in the district. How the next mayor handles Donald Trump is also key question on residents’ minds, with many closely watching to see if any of the president’s supporters are pouring money into the race, as well as the primaries for the city’s congressional delegate. Continue reading...

Former SAS soldier had been invited along with all other living Victoria Cross recipients, judge toldGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has successfully varied his bail to attend the opening of the Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.However, he has not been allowed to go to a military graduation parade and after-party north of Sydney due to concerns he might interact with another alleged war criminal, Oliver Schulz, while there. Continue reading...