Europe heatwave live: UK braces for record-breaking temperatures; Italy issues red alert for 16 cities

• President Donald Trump has dismissed claims that no visits are scheduled for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, insisting that Iran has already agreed to increased nuclear inspections. • This diplomatic tension occurs alongside ongoing military conflict, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continues despite a renewed ceasefire agreement reached on Friday.

• On June 23, 2026, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran will not engage in negotiations regarding its ballistic missile program. • This stance comes amidst an ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel, signaling a hardening of Tehran's position on its strategic weaponry.

• A new book titled "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump" reveals that a former cabinet member referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "special needs child for the Europeans." • The comments reportedly surfaced during a meeting focused on discussing a proposed minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine.

Investigators said one of the teenagers who allegedly opened fire on students at a high school had regularly used the GoreBox gaming appPhilippine authorities have temporarily blocked the online gaming app GoreBox days after a rare school shooting in the south-east Asian nation killed three students and injured 20 others.Investigators said that of the two teenagers accused of opening fire on students at San Jose National high school in Tacloban city, one had regularly played the game, which allows players to use various weapons and depicts graphic violence. Continue reading...

An additional case is suspected in Western Australia, which would bring the total number of bird flu infections to fourFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDeadly H5 bird flu has been confirmed in two Australian states after a migratory seabird tested positive for the disease in South Australia.Western Australia also has another suspected positive case, in a southern giant petrel, found in the Quindalup region in the state’s south west. Continue reading...

Chief secretary to PM says he had been ‘reassured’ about Burnham’s economic plans after conversation with himDarren Jones has ruled himself out of running for the Labour leadership after a conversation with Andy Burnham.Speaking to Sky News, the chief secretary to the prime minister said he had been “reassured” about Burnham’s economic plans after their conversation on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Opponents seize on Farrer MP David Farley’s decision to vote alongside teals and Greens to wind back fuel tax credits for miners, farmers and othersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation is under pressure to clarify its position on fuel tax credits after its rookie MP voted to wind back the rebates, a position opposed by mining and farming groups.The Farrer MP, David Farley, sided with the Greens and teal independents in a lower-house vote to cap the scheme, which refunds miners, farmers and other industries that use heavy machinery the 52.6c a litre excise applied to petrol and diesel. Continue reading...

Despite plunging fuel prices, trimmed mean inflation increased from an annual pace of 3.4% to 3.6%Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s inflation challenge is far from over and more Reserve Bank rate hikes remain on the cards, economists warn, even after a plunging petrol costs drove an unexpected fall in consumer price growth in the year to May.Annual inflation dropped to 4%, from 4.2% in the year to April, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, dragged down in large part thanks to a nearly 12% drop in fuel prices in the month of May. Continue reading...

If TG Jones’s aggressive restructuring is voted through, the charity Help for Heroes and other creditors will be out of pocketSmall suppliers including the charity Help for Heroes are to lose at least half the money owed to them by the former WH Smith high street chain if a planned restructure is voted through this week.The books to paperclips retailer, which has 450 stores, was bought by the private equity firm Modella Capital last year and rebranded TG Jones. It has said it is likely that it will have to call in administrators if creditors, including shop landlords, do not approve an amended restructuring plan, seen by the Guardian, designed to cut costs in a vote on Wednesday. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As heatwaves intensify, Britain’s ecosystems are being pushed beyond their evolutionary limitsOur green and pleasant land is sizzling. This week, millions of us across the UK are baking in unprecedented heat. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning from 9am today in parts of southern Wales, and central and southern England. The temperature record for June of 35.6C is almost certain to be broken; Bristol is forecast to hit an alarming 39C tomorrow.In the heat, the country’s infrastructure is straining: millions of homes are overheating, rail operators have warned against all but essential travel, and hospital admissions are set to surge. The Climate Change Committee concluded last month the UK is built for a climate that no longer exists – and warned today on the country’s policies towards achieving net zero.UK news | Searing heat has swept the UK with schools, hospitals, transport networks and water companies struggling to cope with the extreme temperatures caused by climate breakdown.UK politics | Keir Starmer has met Andy Burnham for the first time since the Makerfield byelection in what sources said was a “frosty” meeting to thrash out a transition of power.US news | Marco Rubio is to meet Gulf allies in an attempt to reassure them that the US remains committed to their security and the 60-day ceasefire deal struck with Iran last week will not embolden Tehran.Europe news | Forty people have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas across France in recent days, as people across the country sought respite from a record-breaking heatwave.UK politics | Nigel Farage has said his £5m gift from a crypto billionaire is “not any of your business” as it was given unconditionally to be spent on anything from Ferraris to gambling on horses. Continue reading...

LGBTQ+ support service says men from countries where homosexuality is illegal are targeted for attacks via dating appsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInternational students from countries where homosexuality is illegal are being lured into meetings via gay dating apps before being assaulted and extorted with threats of being outed, a Victorian inquiry into hate crimes has heard.Since June 2024, police identified 95 attacks targeting gay and bisexual men across Victoria, resulting in 42 arrests, Thorne Harbour Health’s chief executive, Chad Hughes, told a hate crimes inquiry on Wednesday. Continue reading...

‘I love you,’ Leah Stewart told her mother and partner after being extubated on TuesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman attacked by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach has uttered her first words after waking from a coma 10 days after sustaining her injuries.“I love you,” Leah Stewart told her mother and partner after being extubated on Tuesday. She was bitten by a great white shark on 13 June. Continue reading...