Middle East crisis live: US and Iran trade strikes again, after Trump warns Tehran will ‘pay the price’ for stalled talks

• Rebel fighters besieging El Obeid, Sudan, are using drone attacks that have put approximately 500,000 civilians at risk of large-scale atrocities. • The ongoing conflict has displaced over 14 million people internally and pushed millions toward famine while severely limiting humanitarian access.

• The U.S. and Iran have held separate meetings in Qatar, agreeing to maintain ongoing discussions to address diplomatic tensions. • A separate report highlights that Donald Trump earned tens of millions of dollars from properties in countries reliant on U.S. military support or seeking tariff relief.

• Professor C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), and MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor addressed the Japanese parliament. • The event took place on the eve of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's official visit to India to strengthen bilateral relations.

• Venezuela's healthcare system has reached a breaking point following two powerful earthquakes that struck the country nearly a week ago. • The government reports that the death toll has surpassed 1,900 people, while thousands of displaced citizens are currently living in unsanitary conditions.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has significantly increased funding for the U.K. military in one of his final major acts of office. • The decision to boost weapons spending on Tuesday prioritizes military expansion over domestic welfare programs.

• Prof Raj Kumar and Shashi Tharoor addressed Japan's National Diet to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Japan. • The discussions focused on leveraging education and parliamentary diplomacy as key pillars to deepen bilateral ties beyond traditional crisis management.

An estimated 650,000 bags of potato chips are affected as US agency upgraded recall of several popular brandsThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has upgraded a recall of several popular brands of potato chips to its most serious level because of the risk of salmonella contamination.Manufacturer Utz issued a voluntary recall in May for varieties of its Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips products, citing the possible presence of salmonella in dry milk powder sourced from a third party used to make a seasoning ingredient. Continue reading...

Councils and schools urged to do more as figures show there is no information on whereabouts of 32,100 ‘Neets’Business live – latest updatesThe government has urged councils and schools in England to drastically improve the way they identify young people at risk of dropping out of training and work, as it admitted thousands are unaccounted for.Publishing official figures on Thursday, the government said councils had no information on the whereabouts of 32,100 young people aged 16 to 17 who were not in education, employment or training (Neet). Continue reading...

Charges yet to be filed over incident in town of Mukdahan as police seek to establish circumstances of crashAn 11-year-old boy has driven his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand, killing at least nine monks.CCTV footage shared by a local rescue group showed the moment the monks, wearing orange robes, were run over as they walked in procession along a road. The timestamp on the footage was shortly before 11am local time on Thursday. Continue reading...

Plymouth retrospective of artist, who died in 2018, aims to ‘champion and celebrate the power of the imagination’She spoke about indulging in colour, feasting on beauty, feeling a little giddy when drinking in glorious hues and textures – and not searching too deeply for meaning.So in these gloomy times, a major retrospective of the work of the artist Gillian Ayres in her adopted Devon homeland may be just the job. Continue reading...

Cross-party group writes to ministers of concerns children’s show contains unsubtle ‘propaganda content’UK politics live – latest updatesA cartoon for preschoolers depicting the adventures of a small girl and a retired circus bear may seem an unlikely source of parliamentary concern.Yet a cross-party group of MPs has written to ministers urging them to examine whether they can stop the globally popular Masha and the Bear from being broadcast in the UK, alleging it amounts to a cuddly form of Russian propaganda. Continue reading...

Federal prosecutors to focus on issue despite court backing constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. Plus: Greek priest whose metal music has become cult smashGood morning.The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, has said federal prosecutors and law enforcement officers will focus on combating so-called “birth tourism” – which involves tourists, temporary visitors, or undocumented immigrants traveling to the US primarily to give birth and and secure birthright citizenship for their children.What did Blanche say? “There’s other things … the federal government can do in the visa process, and the application process, to try to minimize or limit the opportunity of folks coming here not to visit, and not to do what they’re saying they’re doing on the tourist visa, but just to have a baby that can then be a US citizen. What we have to do as Department of Justice is make sure our agents … and the FBI are focused on stopping that.” Continue reading...