Newsom to impose 100% tax on California payees of Trump’s $1.8bn fund

• A new book titled "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump" reveals that a former cabinet member referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "special needs child for the Europeans." • The derogatory comment reportedly occurred during a meeting focused on discussing a proposed minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine.

• China is expanding its mediatory diplomacy to address intensifying international conflicts and a weakening global order. • The strategy consists of three reinforcing components: multi-level peace-brokering roles, the Global Security Initiative (GSI) conceptual framework, and the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed).

• The Sudanese crisis, which began in April 2023 as a power struggle between two generals, has evolved into a complex regional proxy conflict. • Qatar is playing a significant role in the geopolitics of polarization, influencing the reengineering of power within the war-torn nation.

Fears of long-lasting energy crunch ‘slinking away’ as vessel traffic doubled in 24 hours to highest level since late FebruaryBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices have fallen below levels seen before the Iran war started in late February as more oil tankers exited the strait of Hormuz.Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell to a low of $72.24 a barrel on Thursday, slightly lower than the day before the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Tehran on 28 February. Prices have fallen more than 20% this month. Continue reading...

Australian woman Leah Stewart no longer in critical condition but doesn’t yet have use of her handA woman who was attacked by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee’s beach is no longer in a critical condition and “remembers the whole event in detail”, her brother has said.Leah Stewart’s brother, Joshua, provided the update on a fundraising site on Thursday, writing that it was “amazing to hear from her so much sooner than anyone expected” and she had been “overjoyed” to see her daughter for the first time since the incident almost two weeks ago. Continue reading...

Pupils say LPS Hybrid’s combination of remote and in-person classes has transformed their school experienceTwo years ago, Ellie Ball could barely bring herself to attend school. Today, the 16-year-old is planning to take four A-levels and hopes to study astrolaw – “It’s basically space law,” she explains – at university.The transformation happened largely through a screen. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: Amid rising anti‑immigration rhetoric across Europe, the decision to engage with the Taliban signals a profound shift in how the EU balances security and human rightsGood morning. It’s a slap in the face. That’s the phrase I kept hearing – in furious overnight messages, in blazing opinion columns – as Afghan women responded to the meeting between EU officials and the Taliban that took place in Brussels on Tuesday.The talks, to discuss how to scale up the deportation of Afghan migrants, were met with widespread outrage, and disbelief that Europe would countenance offering legitimacy to a regime that affords a bird better protections than a woman.World news | Venezuela’s interim leader has declared a state of emergency after the country was struck by two powerful earthquakes that collapsed dozens of buildings and killed at least 32 people, with experts warning the death toll could rise significantly.Heatwave | The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for June and France has recorded its hottest day ever for the second day running, as a heatwave affecting more than 90 million people sweeps across swathes of Europe.UK politics | Donald Trump has labelled Andy Burnham “extremely liberal”, in his first public comments about the former Greater Manchester mayor since he emerged as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer.Europe news | The first case of Ebola has been confirmed in France, the country’s health ministry has said, in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission to an area affected by the outbreak in the DRC.UK news | A little-known system in which US military personnel are tried through a court martial for alleged crimes committed in the UK is under growing scrutiny. Continue reading...

The US president told reporters the former Manchester mayor ‘probably won’t open up the North Sea’ for oil explorationDonald Trump has labelled Andy Burnham “extremely liberal”, in his first public comments about the former Greater Manchester mayor since he emerged as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer.The US president told reporters Burnham “probably won’t open up the North Sea” for oil exploration, and that “the UK is dying”, signalling that the newly elected Labour MP could face a rocky relationship with Trump. Continue reading...

One woman says she found man in her room at WA fly-in, fly-out accommodation while another states she was ‘howled’ at, federal court toldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAndrew Forrest’s Fortescue is facing a class action lawsuit from female workers over allegations of systemic sexual harassment, violence and retaliation at the iron ore miner’s remote work sites.The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in Victoria on Thursday, includes an allegation that a woman was pulled into a dark alley where a man “tried to stick his tongue down my throat”. Continue reading...

Even sexual assault or paedophilia cases are heard by US courts martial, using an obscure 1951 agreementA US fighter pilot strangled a woman in England. Why did it end in a ‘degrading’ military trial?A little-known system in which US military personnel are tried through a court martial for alleged crimes committed in the UK is under growing scrutiny.There are more than 12,000 US personnel stationed on at least 15 US military bases and facilities in the UK. With the exception of Lossiemouth in Scotland, all the bases are in England. Continue reading...

Many of France’s buildings are not designed for hot weather – and low-income housing estates are suffering the worstLiving in a sweltering, seventh-floor flat on a concrete housing estate south of Paris, Samira said she was feeling desperate as France experienced its highest temperatures on record this week. “Yesterday I sat down and cried, I thought I’m going to die,” said the 35-year-old single parent and former building caretaker.Her flat in Ris-Orangis in Essonne is, like millions of apartments in France, poorly insulated and lacking in outside window shutters. “Blazing sun hits my windows all day – I can’t breathe, I feel dizzy, there is no air,” she said. Continue reading...

Nine Entertainment is expected to sever ties with the Today show host but is yet to make details of the separation publicKarl Stefanovic won’t appear on his scheduled Friday afternoon radio show with Eddie McGuire after widespread criticism of his podcast interview with UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson.Stefanovic only recently signed the deal with ARN Media to co-host The Long Weekend nationally on Gold FM, but the threat of an advertising boycott has led to the contract being reviewed, Guardian Australia understands. Continue reading...