House Republicans seek to pass $70bn for Trump’s immigration crackdown

• Voters in four U.S. states are heading to the polls today to participate in primary elections. • A new report indicates that global conflicts have reached their highest levels since the end of World War II.

• A new report from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program reveals that global conflict levels have reached their highest point since World War II. • The data highlights a surge in one-sided violence in Africa, specifically citing massacres in El Fasher as a primary driver.

• One hundred days after the U.S. and Israel initiated military actions against Iran, civilians across the Middle East are facing severe hardships, including bombings, blackouts, and water shortages. • The conflict has triggered global economic instability, resulting in increased costs for food, transport, and fuel for populations worldwide.

• The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) released the 2026 Global Peace Index (GPI), reporting that global peace has reached a historic low. • This decline is attributed to the "Great Fragmentation," a geopolitical shift where middle powers are gaining influence while traditional European powers lose strength.

• The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) released the 2026 Global Peace Index (GPI), reporting that global peace has reached a historic low. • This decline is driven by a "Great Fragmentation," characterized by the rising influence of middle powers and the diminishing strength of traditional European powers.

• A Norwegian study released on Tuesday reports that the number of state conflicts reached its highest level since the Second World War in 2025. • The report highlights a concerning surge in attacks specifically targeting civilian populations.

• The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) released the 2026 Global Peace Index on June 9, 2026, reporting that global peace has reached a historic low. • This decline is attributed to a record number of interconnected conflicts and a "Great Fragmentation" caused by the rising influence of middle powers and the waning strength of traditional European powers.

• Global conflicts have surged to their highest levels since World War II, according to data from Sweden's Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). • Senior analyst Shawn Davies notes a significant increase in interstate wars, which had previously been relatively rare for a long period.

• A study by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) reports that the world recorded 65 state-based conflicts in 2025, marking the highest number since 1946. • The report highlights a steep increase in civilian deaths globally, with the conflict in Sudan accounting for a significant portion of the rise.

• Geopolitical risk is emerging as a critical factor influencing global financial stability, as detailed in the June 2026 Bulletin. • These risks extend to organizational capacity, specifically threatening the stability of offshore teams and third-party service providers.

The Tory leader says the public sector duty to consider minorities encourages division but legal experts warn abolishing it will fuel discriminationFor more than two decades, an important part of Britain’s equality laws ensured public institutions had to think about the impact the decisions they make could have on different groups within society.Introduced in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, the public sector equality duty required public bodies – such as local councils, police forces and hospitals – to think proactively about equality law. Now this once uncontroversial public duty is a new battleground in Britain’s culture wars. Continue reading...

The theatrical prequel to the Duffer Brothers’ smash-hit Netflix series is to shut down in the West End and on Broadway this winter, after selling more than 1.5m ticketsThe London and New York productions of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the theatrical prequel to Netflix’s TV blockbuster, are to both close this winter. The stage spectacular will have run for just over three years in the West End, where it won two Olivier awards, and for just over 20 months on Broadway, where it won four Tony awards. The final performance at the Phoenix theatre in London will be on 27 December and the last show at the Marquis theatre in New York will be on 3 January.The announcement, made on Tuesday, comes as a surprise considering the TV series’ phenomenal continued success. The November launch of the fifth and final season broke viewing records for an English-language series on Netflix, with 59.6m views in the first five days, and even caused the streaming service to crash within minutes of the episodes first becoming available. In February, it was widely reported that the New York stage production was being filmed for future release, but Netflix has made no such official statement. Continue reading...