Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran negotiations as Trump casts doubt on ceasefire | First Thing

• Analyst James Dorsey reported on June 12, 2026, that while negotiations between Iran and the U.S. may be possible, deep strategic disputes persist. • Regional actors, including Israel, Gulf states, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, continue to influence the conflict's trajectory based on their own priorities.

• Multinational banks are reassessing their cross-border strategies as geopolitical considerations increasingly influence how they organize international operations and evaluate risk. • Financial institutions are now balancing the pursuit of robust financial performance with the need to manage complex geopolitical exposure.

• Envoys from the UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement following diplomatic discussions in Moscow. • The representatives formally conveyed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's request for direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Endorsement by former soldier, despite party’s apparent efforts to distance itself from him, is likely bid to attract Restore Britain votersReform UK’s candidate in the Makerfield byelection has been criticised for welcoming an endorsement by Ant Middleton, the former soldier and TV presenter who the party had distanced itself from over his increasingly extreme views.Robert Kenyon shared a video of himself with Middleton, who he described as “one of my heroes”. Middleton has previously said “well done Southampton” in the wake of violence after the murder of Henry Nowak, and has repeatedly used his own X account to make anti-Muslim comments. Continue reading...

US president dismissed Iranian media reports agreement was close, despite earlier suggesting a deal could be signed this weekendMiddle East crisis – live updatesProspects for an immediate end to the war between Iran and the US remained uncertain on Friday amid a chaotic series of conflicting claims and counter-claims by US and Iranian officials about ongoing negotiationsDonald Trump seemed to distance himself from his earlier comments that suggested a preliminary agreement could be signed as soon as this weekend, with a series of angry social media posts describing the Iranians as “very dishonorable people to deal with”. Continue reading...

Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was killed while executing search warrants related to a shooting at US consulateInvestigators in Canada are probing whether the death of a Toronto police officer, who was killed while executing search warrants related to a shooting at US consulate, is linked a broader series of global terror attacks.Constable Marc Pinizzotto, a 43-year-old member of the emergency task force, was killed on Thursday during a dawn search of an apartment building in the city’s west. Continue reading...

Bell hotel in Epping was scene of violent protests after asylum seeker living there sexually assaulted girl and womanAsylum seekers have been removed from the Epping hotel that became a flashpoint for anti-immigration protests across England last summer as the Home Office terminates its contract with the establishment.The hotel on the outskirts of the Essex town was the scene of increasingly large protests after an asylum seeker who was living there sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman. Continue reading...

Dylan Phelan, 21, sentenced to six years and four months for encouraging the suicide of 21-year-old Louisiana native Travis DyerA British man has been sentenced to over six years in jail after admitting to encouraging a US citizen to commit suicide in 2024 while on a video call.Dylan Phelan, 21, was sentenced on Friday at Leeds crown court after previously pleading guilty to intentionally doing an act which was capable of encouraging the suicide of another person. This was after 21-year-old Louisiana native Travis Dyer took his own life following a call between the pair and two other men. He also admitted to three counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image and one count of making an indecent image of a child.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Police call for calm before anti-racist protests in Belfast and Glasgow as MPs warn of failure over online misinformationPolice said 19 people, including a 16-year-old boy, have now been arrested after two nights of rioting in Northern Ireland following a knife attack earlier in the week.The violence broke out after far-right activists called for demonstrations in response to the attack, which was captured in a graphic video. Continue reading...

Four found guilty will face tougher conditions as judge says actions were ‘designed to intimidate the UK government and a section of the public’Four Palestine Action activists who smashed up drones and other equipment at an Israeli arms manufacturer’s UK factory will be sentenced as terrorists, a judge has ruled.Mr Justice Johnson made the ruling at a sentencing hearing on Friday for Samuel Corner, 23, Charlotte Head, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, who were all found guilty of criminal damage last month in relation to a 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems UK site in Gloucestershire. Corner was also convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent for striking Sgt Kate Evans with a sledgehammer. Continue reading...

‘Lookback law’ allowed Pamela Lockridge to seek damages against late stepfather who abused her starting at age fourA north-west Louisiana jury recently awarded a staggering $1.1bn in damages to a woman who sued over childhood sexual molestation at the hands of her late stepfather in the 1960s and 1970s – a verdict that the plaintiff says “sends a message that children are precious” and “deserve protection”.The outcome in Pamela Elaine Lockridge’s lawsuit caused waves among Louisiana’s legal community, illustrating how much civil juries are willing to award to plaintiffs for cases tried under the state’s so-called “lookback law”. Continue reading...

New batch of government documents takes no position on origin of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)A possible UFO sighting over a busy southern African airport, and yet more mysterious glowing orbs in the sky above the US feature in the latest batch of previously classified documents released by the Pentagon on Friday in its stated quest for “transparency” amid the irrepressible debate about the chances of extraterrestrial life.In keeping with the first two document drops of government papers last month, Friday’s tranche of more than 50 files contains no proof that the tantalizing videos and written accounts of possible alien encounters are anything other than perception, vivid imagination or conspiracy theories. Continue reading...