‘Everyone is angry for different reasons’: scepticism in Iran as peace deal nears

• An Iranian official stated that achieving an end to the current war requires the termination of Israel’s occupation of Lebanon. • In a separate development, it was noted that congressional leaders and intelligence committees typically receive high-level briefings and advance notice of major events before rank-and-file members.

• Despite the rise of globalization and the digital economy, global conflicts and power dynamics remain fundamentally rooted in geography. • Critical infrastructure, including semiconductor facilities, data centers, and undersea cables, as well as mineral supply chains, remain concentrated in specific physical locations.

• An Iranian official stated that a permanent end to the war must include the termination of Israel’s occupation of Lebanon, according to state television reports. • These developments follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement to conclude the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. conflict with Iran.

• President Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Evian-les-Bains, France, during the G7 summit to discuss a deal to end the U.S. conflict with Iran. • Trump described the agreement as a potential breakthrough for global security, though some lingering questions remain before the formal signing.

• UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to combat food insecurity and famine risks in Somalia. • The funding arrives as humanitarian partners report that many newly displaced families have lost their belongings and tents, forcing them to rely on relatives and friends.

• Author Dylan Muggleton analyzes the feasibility of a "grand bargain" or grand plan to stabilize the current global geopolitical environment. • The analysis argues that such a deal is unrealistic because modern competition occurs across multiple simultaneous domains, including technology, energy, security, and economics.

Eleanor Ross cited an ‘abundance of caution for potential perception of bias’ over a Fani Willis-linked eventA federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found that she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and attended a partisan event – then lied when confronted with the allegations – has recused herself in a fight over Georgia election records after the US justice department raised questions about her ability to be impartial.The justice department sought to remove Eleanor Ross, a US district judge, from the case, citing her reported attendance at an event for Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney who prosecuted Donald Trump in between his two presidencies. Ross on Tuesday filed an order recusing herself, writing that she was doing so “out of an abundance of caution for the potential perception of bias”. Continue reading...

A group of 12 people – nine skydivers, two tandem jumpers and a pilot – were killed in the weekend crash in ButlerA high school music teacher, a cancer survivor and a new father with two baby boys have been identified by family members as victims of a weekend skydiving plane crash in Missouri that killed 12 people.According to the Bates county department of emergency management, the aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750XL, was carrying nine experienced skydivers, two tandem jumpers and a pilot. Continue reading...

MEPs agree to implement deal almost 12 months after it was proposed and just days before deadline of US threat to raise tariffsThe European parliament has given its final approval to implement last July’s tariff agreement with Donald Trump.Facing a threat of increased tariffs if the deal was not sanctioned by 4 July, MEPs agreed to approve the deal, with two main provisos. Continue reading...

Ministry of Defence investigates after shots apparently fired within 500 metres of vessel near Isle of WightThe Ministry of Defence is investigating reports that a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired warning shots within 500 metres of a British yacht sailing a little over 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight.No injuries or damage have been reported by the yacht, which is continuing its journey. A boat from HMS Tyne has visited the yacht to gather details and check the crew are safe. Continue reading...

General secretary of TUC calls Reform proposal ‘a smokescreen for slashing women’s rights’UK politics live – latest updatesA law proposed by Nigel Farage to “strengthen women’s rights” could cost female workers money by removing equal pay for work of equal value, unions have said.A proposal, made by Reform UK days before the Makerfield byelection, to introduce a Women and Motherhood Protection Act that it says will restore equality before the law has been described as “shameless and deceptive”. Continue reading...

Activists say blanket ban could prevent teenagers from finding peers and role models with similar conditionsDisability activists have said banning under-16s from social media risks cutting off a “lifeline for friendship” for disabled children and could push them into social isolation by preventing them from making connections online.Charities and high-profile figures in disability advocacy said they were concerned that a blanket ban on social media would disproportionately affect teenagers who may not be able to meet people easily in real life or find peers with similar conditions. Continue reading...