Blind woman ‘livid’ after Wetherspoons pub asks for guide dog’s ID

• A tanker was set on fire in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by a projectile, escalating tensions in a critical global shipping lane. • The incident coincides with a period of national mourning in Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

• Iranian missiles reportedly struck two commercial ships in the Gulf, according to a U.S. official. • The attacks occurred amid a fragile cease-fire, though Iranian officials have not yet issued an official comment on the strikes.

• The United Nations warned on Monday that Afghanistan is currently facing one of the world's largest displacement crises due to poverty, climate shocks, and decades of conflict. • A recent UNDP socioeconomic review highlights that the return of approximately 2.7 million Afghans is placing immense pressure on the country's fragile economy and public services.

• Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper published an essay via Chatham House outlining Britain's strategic approach to a "storm" of geopolitical instability, AI risks, and climate change. • The proposal emphasizes the need for the UK to work more closely with European partners and seek expanded cooperation beyond traditional large trading blocs.

• Afghanistan continues to be one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, as reported by the United Nations. • In 2025, approximately 22.9 million people—nearly half of the total population—required urgent humanitarian assistance.

• A tanker was set on fire in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by a projectile, marking a significant escalation in regional maritime tensions. • The attack coincides with a period of national mourning in Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

• The House of Commons is scheduled to hold a debate on UK rearmament and warfighting readiness on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. • The session will focus on the current state of defense programs and the UK's capacity to maintain operational readiness for potential conflict.

• The integrity of the World Cup has come under scrutiny following the suspension of player Balogun. • Both Donald Trump and FIFA have issued defenses of the actions taken regarding the suspension to maintain the tournament's standards.

Exclusive: health groups call on expected next prime minister to rip up agreement, which analysis suggests could lead to 229,000 excess deaths by 2036UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is being urged to scrap the UK-US trade deal on medicines as health organisations and doctors’ groups warn it is dangerous and prioritises pharmaceutical company profits over the lives of NHS patients.Ministers have defended the agreement, signed last December, as a way of helping British drug exports to the US avoid tariffs and giving patients access to potentially life-extending drugs that would otherwise be denied. Continue reading...

Residents and council say creating affordable housing is more urgent than ‘high-frequency trading’ in nearby CityCampaigners in east London are opposing plans for a datacentre in Brick Lane that they say will worsen the area’s housing crisis and drive long-term residents away.The road, famed for its curry houses and 24-hour bagel shops, is the latest flashpoint in the rapid rollout of datacentres across the UK that aims to meet demand created by artificial intelligence. Continue reading...

Experts say the critical reservoir system is careening toward a breaking point as the US west’s climate warms and driesLake Powell, US’s second-largest reservoir, threatens to plunge to unprecedentedly low levels this year after a historically bleak snowpack failed to raise its water level, scientists and water experts have said, adding renewed urgency to stalled talks over how to conserve a water source depended on by tens of millions of people in the US south-west.The 185-mile Colorado River reservoir currently stands at about 23% of its capacity, or roughly 5.6m acre-feet. Lake Powell fell below that level for a few months three years ago. But those 2023 levels were recorded in the winter, when the reservoir straddling the Utah-Arizona border hits its lowest ebb. Spring runoff carried the level back up to 9.6m acre-feet by June, according to data from the US Bureau of Reclamation. Continue reading...

Valter Lavitola suspected of planning bomb attack on Sigfrido Ranucci, for which four people have been arrestedItalian prosecutors have placed a businessman and former journalist under investigation for allegedly masterminding a bomb attack at the home of Sigfrido Ranucci, a prominent investigative reporter.Valter Lavitola is friends with Ranucci, the host of Report, an investigative programme aired by the state broadcaster, Rai, and is being investigated on suspicion of trying to cause mass murder. Continue reading...