Europe heatwave live: UK issues rare red temperature warnings; French PM to hold crisis meeting after heat deaths

• On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, Donald Trump asserted that Iran "will agree" to permit international weapons inspections amidst ongoing conflict. • The statement comes during a period of heightened military tension involving a combined US-Israel war effort against Iran.

• The US and Iran concluded a high-level summit in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, resulting in a 60-day peace roadmap to stabilize relations. • The agreement includes the implementation of maritime safeguards to prevent conflict and ensure the safety of shipping lanes.

Energy secretary expected to argue that UK clean economy is booming as private sector pledges over £100bn of investmentEd Miliband is to say that the UK must stick to net zero targets to deliver jobs and growth, as speculation surrounds the energy secretary’s role under a new prime minister.He will make the speech as data shows more than £100bn in green investment has been pledged by private sector companies in this parliament. Continue reading...

Treasurer says Coalition playing ‘footsie with the monoculture language’ after Liberal leader sidesteps questions at press conferenceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAngus Taylor has repeatedly refused to say whether he supports multiculturalism in Australia, sidestepping five questions at a press conference about his views and claiming “there’s all these vague words running around”.Treasurer Jim Chalmers accused the opposition leader of “playing footsie” with One Nation and Pauline Hanson’s call for a “monoculture” in Australia, as Labor ministers committed to backing multiculturalism. Continue reading...

Reseller is also ordered to refund more than 50,000 fans, as its rival Viagogo remains under investigationBusiness live – latest updatesThe online ticket reseller StubHub UK has been fined almost £900,000 and ordered to make payments to more than 50,000 fans for not showing the full price of tickets at the time of booking, an illegal practice known as “drip pricing”.The UK competition watchdog, which launched an investigation into the sales practices of eight companies including rival reseller Viagogo UK last year, said that StubHub must issue refunds exceeding £590,000 to customers. Continue reading...

One Nation leader says she isn’t suggesting Australia get rid of taxpayer-funded parental leave entitlementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson says small businesses will “fold” under the cost of providing paid parental leave, as Labor suggested the One Nation leader didn’t understand how the policy worked.It is not compulsory for employers to pay parental leave entitlements in Australia, though most businesses do provide it and employees are entitled to 12 months of unpaid leave. Continue reading...

Monika Silva Koniuszek died from a blow to the head and strangulation, a postmortem found, despite government claim of suicideCampaigners in Ecuador say a Polish anti-corruption activist who investigated allegations against the family business of the country’s rightwing president was murdered to silence her.Monika Silva Koniuszek, 41, was found dead in her home in Montañita, a coastal town in Ecuador’s Santa Elena province. The single mother of daughters aged four and nine, was found on the floor with a noose around her neck on 8 June. Continue reading...

Herbicide manufacturer Sygenta had reservations dating back to 1970s but regulator says tighter controls, including phasing out backpack sprayers, can protect workersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe herbicide paraquat, banned in over 70 countries, will remain legal in Australia despite Parkinson’s groups, scientists and neurologists arguing there is a strong correlation between direct exposure and the incidence of the disease.The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced its final decision on Tuesday following a decades-long review of the highly toxic paraquat and a related chemical, diquat. Both are widely used in Australian agriculture. Continue reading...

Huge blow to prosecution case as judge rules footage is inadmissible in upcoming trialA video of two Sydney nurses allegedly making antisemitic comments to an Israeli influencer has been struck out of court as the pair prepare to go to trial.Ahmad Nadir, 28, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, have pleaded not guilty to being menacing and offensive when they allegedly said they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatened violence against them. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: Correspondents across the UK reveal the challenges that Labour’s newest MP will face from day one in the jobGood morning. It seems inevitable that Andy Burnham will become the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade, after Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday morning and, hours later, Burnham’s most likely challenger, Wes Streeting, rowed in behind the former mayor of Greater Manchester.Starmer leaves office barely two years after his landslide victory that swept Labour into power on a mandate of change. Six weeks after the party’s humiliation at the hands of Reform across English councils, and historic defeats to progressive nationalists in the Welsh Senedd and Scottish parliament, Burnham offered the country another “change moment”: winning an emphatic victory over Reform in last week’s Makerfield byelection, cementing the view that he can defeat the hard right at the next general election.UK politics | A generation of young Britons who were locked out of the 2016 EU referendum because of their age now believe that Brexit has failed, with a majority demanding a fresh vote to rejoin the EU, exclusive polling shows.Northern Ireland | Former DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been found guilty of 18 sexual offences against two victims who were children at the time of the abuse more than 30 years ago.Heatwave | Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday in the face of extreme heat and humidity, while a red heat health alert has been issued in England indicating “a risk to life for even the healthy population”.Middle East | Iran has agreed to allow UN nuclear inspectors back into the country as part of an agreement under which Washington will lift sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports and the strait of Hormuz will reopen, the US vice-president, JD Vance, has said.UK news | The Metropolitan police is to expand its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, first into London’s West End by Christmas and then into a further six areas next year. Continue reading...

The PM said in May that ‘stories beat spreadsheets’, but what does the data tell us about his time in office?Keir Starmer is to step down as prime minister after just two years in office.Despite promising an end to Conservative sleaze and scandal, much political bandwidth towards the end of his time in No 10 was taken up by the fallout surrounding his appointment as US ambassador of Peter Mandelson, who had a close relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Availability of teplizumab on the NHS – which postpones early stages of disease for up to three years – described as an ‘incredible moment’The world’s first drug to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes is to be made available on the NHS in England and Wales, in the biggest breakthrough in tackling the disease for more than a century.Millions of people have type 1 diabetes worldwide, which typically emerges during childhood or adolescence, and occurs when the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to allow glucose to enter cells to produce energy. Continue reading...