Book returned to Australian library – 150 years overdue

• Pakistan has gained international recognition for its recent diplomatic efforts, specifically for facilitating pauses in the conflict between the United States and Iran. • Simultaneously, China has transitioned from a manufacturer of low-cost imitation goods to a global leader in high-tech innovation, particularly in AI and robotics.

• A joint study by UNESCO and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reveals that the region will have 38.3 million fewer school-age children by 2050. • The report highlights a significant demographic shift and recommends integrating data on births, migration, enrollment, and location to better manage educational resources.

• The United States has resumed exchanging military strikes with Iran, marking a sudden escalation in tensions. • This development follows a Tuesday interview with Fox News where President Trump appeared to hesitate over the humanitarian costs of targeting Iranian infrastructure, such as power plants and bridges.

Shares in Rolls-Royce jump by 5.5% after it lifts earnings guidance, while BAE Systems also upgrades profit forecastsBusiness live – latest updatesRolls-Royce and BAE Systems are expecting higher profits as governments around the world boost their defence spending.Both companies lifted their earnings guidance on Thursday morning, citing commitments from governments to increase investment in defence systems. Continue reading...

The Federal Reserve voted to hold its key interest rate steady, sending stocks tumbling, as US claimed to hit ‘dozens’ of Iranian targets. Plus the origins of Coca-Cola may have been found … in ItalyGood morning. US government borrowing costs have hit their highest level since 2007 after the Federal Reserve voted to hold its key interest rate steady, feeding fears that the central bank may not move fast enough to tame a rise in inflation. Kevin Warsh, the Fed chair, said the bank would “not waver” in its commitment to tackling rising prices.The decision to leave rates on hold has spooked investors, who are worried about the US economy’s ability to absorb a rise inflation, triggered by Donald Trump’s war in Iran. US inflation cooled to an annual rate of 3.5% in June after Washington and Tehran agreed a brief ceasefire – but this has since ended. US stocks fell sharply on Wednesday, with the blue chip S&P 500 index closing down 1.5%. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 2.2% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 1.7%. Continue reading...

Split vote comes as Iran war is rekindled and oil price climbs back above $90 a barrelThe Bank of England has kept UK interest rates on hold as fears mount over rising inflation triggered by the Iran war.Against a volatile backdrop in the Middle East conflict, the Bank’s monetary policy committee voted to keep its key base rate at the current level of 3.75%, although the decision was not unanimous. Continue reading...

Americans are facing a deepening affordability crisis but at least Trump and co have ... 250 new Cadillac EscaladesThis was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayGas prices are up almost a dollar a gallon since the day Donald Trump took office; mortgage rates just hit their highest level in nearly a year, and over the weekend a prominent economist said the Iran war is costing the average US household more than $1,200.Americans are struggling through a deepening affordability crisis caused largely by Trump’s ill-fated war against Iran. They are in need of a boost, something to lift the spirits. Perhaps the president could give a speech, letting the people know that we are all in this together. Continue reading...

Group of migrants found unresponsive off coast of Dunkirk while attempting to reach UKThree people have died while trying to reach the UK on a small boat after one of the busiest days for Channel crossings this year.The group of migrants were found dead on a boat off the coast of Dunkirk on Thursday morning, the French coastguard said. Continue reading...

Chief executive says the four-year plan will lead to greater efficiency but gives no details of potential job lossesBusiness live – latest updatesLloyds Banking Group will cut another £2bn of costs as part of a four-year plan under which its chief executive will use new tech and AI to drive growth.Charlie Nunn said the strategy, which the UK’s largest high street lender will launch in January, would involve investing £13bn into the business by 2030, including for “pioneering technology” to lure new business, improve efficiency and increase payouts for shareholders. Continue reading...

Lawmakers scrap planned committee vote and seek further assurances that president’s ‘anti-weaponization fund’ is deadSign up for the US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney-general stalled last night as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote.Barack Obama, the former president who installed basketball hoop on the White House tennis court, endorsed the US Senate campaign of Iowa Democrat Josh Turek, a state lawmaker who played wheelchair basketball in four Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals, in a new ad filmed as the two shot hoops.The US Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring its opposition to any presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes.Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former Maga congresswoman, announced on Wednesday that she was married on Tuesday in Las Vegas to another recent exile from Trump’s good graces, Brian Glenn, the self-described “Maga mouthpiece” who quit his job as White House correspondent for the far-right network Real America’s Voice after his fiancee was cast out by the president for supporting the release of the Epstein files and criticizing his bombing of Iran in 2025.Lawyers for former FBI director James Comey have alleged that US Secret Service agents illegally surveilled him, Trump requested regular updates into the investigation, and law enforcement turned to ChatGPT and a known mafia killer as they scrambled to find justification for criminally charging Comey for posting a picture of seashells that spelled out “8647”. Continue reading...

Black voters in south motivated to turn out by Republican push to redraw maps after supreme court rulingA new analysis of Black voters in the south indicates that Republican attempts to dilute their political power is driving them to the polls in larger numbers and shifting their counties further left.After the supreme court effectively gutted section 2 of the Voting Rights Act protections in late April, Republican legislatures across the south rapidly pushed to disenfranchise Black voters by redrawing congressional maps. Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama all immediately worked to pass new maps, while the Mississippi governor has said that he wants legislators to redraw maps before the upcoming midterm elections. Continue reading...