Clearance rates hit six-year low as more than half of Australian homes up for auction fail to sell

• Iran has re-closed the Strait of Hormuz shortly after signing a ceasefire agreement with the United States. • South Korean shipbuilders are establishing a naval production hub in Elefsina, Greece, creating a strategic convergence of South Korean infrastructure, US development finance, and Chinese port equity.

• An emergency session focused on the situation in Lebanon has been added to the ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the United States in Switzerland. • The addition of this session comes amid escalating tensions and instability within Lebanon, necessitating urgent high-level discussions.

• On Saturday, June 20, 2026, tensions escalated as Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz amidst an ongoing war involving the U.S. and Israel. • Concurrent with the maritime blockade, Israel continued its military offensive and attacks targeting Lebanon.

• The United States and Iran are scheduled to hold diplomatic talks this Sunday in Switzerland to address ongoing tensions. • Simultaneously, Tehran has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for global oil shipments.

The influential role vacated by the new Makerfield MP will be fiercely contested by Labour, Reform and the GreensAs Andy Burnham maps out the final steps on his path to Downing Street, he may feel that his future is clear. But a look back over his shoulder reveals a cloudier outlook, inviting the question: what now happens to his former role as Greater Manchester’s mayor?An election has been set for 30 July, and with the job widely seen as having grown under Burnham’s tenure to become one of the most influential in British politics outside Westminster, Labour is desperate to cling on to it – but parties to its right and left both see an opportunity. Continue reading...

At age 24, workers born in the late 1990s are paid more than any cohort since those born in the 1950sGen Z’s early careers are more financially rewarding than those of millennials, research suggests.Those typically born between 1997 to 2012 are experiencing a mini-rebound in pay packets, according to the research by the Resolution Foundation, in a seeming contrast to how the previous generation entered the job market. Continue reading...

Head of Greater Manchester force refutes claims of anti-white bias but says he understands where it comes fromPolicing in Britain has “adopted the language of activism” and official guidance has “over-corrected” to combat accusations of racism, one of the UK’s most senior officers has said.Sir Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester police, said he did not believe that “two-tier policing” existed or that forces were biased against white people. Continue reading...

Industrial action is biggest escalation yet in months-long dispute with populist government of Andrej BabišThousands of public service media employees in Czechia are holding a 24-hour strike after the government of the billionaire prime minister, Andrej Babiš, pushed ahead with controversial plans to change the way the country’s public broadcasters are funded.Monday’s industrial action by staff at Czech Television and Czech Radio marks the biggest escalation yet in a months-long confrontation between the broadcasters and Babiš’s populist administration. Continue reading...

A national heatwave plan has been activated to help people stay cool during the Netherlands’ increasingly hot summersHouseholds in Amsterdam are being urged to hang their curtains outside their windows as health experts recommend simple hacks to moderate the heatwave rolling across the Netherlands, where homes were built for old-fashioned damp and coldish northern European weather.In a viral social media post last week, Eline Coolen, the heat coordinator at the city’s public health institute, urged sweaty city-dwellers to rig up temporary curtain rails or drape curtains or sheets outside to stop the sun’s rays reaching their large windows. Continue reading...

Poultry producer Inghams announces move after brown skua confirmed to have virus and petrel being tested, in first cases seen on Australia’s mainlandFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPoultry farms in Western Australia have gone into lockdown after confirmation the deadly H5N1 bird flu has arrived on the country’s mainland.On Monday, the Inghams Group – Australia’s largest poultry producer – announced a “complete lockdown” in WA, despite no commercial detections of H5N1. Continue reading...

Mayor says ‘violence has no place in our city’ as president criticizes governor for not accepting national guard troops At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured in several shootings in Chicago since Friday, police said, with Donald Trump once again calling for military intervention in the midwestern city.In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned why Illinois’s governor, JB Pritzker, had not welcomed military deployment. Continue reading...