Pause HS2 reset until you are confident it can be delivered, NAO tells ministers

• Rescue teams are urgently searching for survivors four days after devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela. • Emergency crews are scrambling to locate missing persons amidst the rubble as the critical window for rescue operations narrows.

• The Trump administration is implementing an "America First" strategy in East Asia, demanding that regional allies shoulder a larger share of defense costs. • The Council on Foreign Relations warns that this approach creates a paradox where efforts to assert U.S. influence may alienate partners essential to long-term Indo-Pacific goals.

• Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Tod Wolters endorsed the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and President-elect Maryam Rajavi during the Free Iran 2026 World Summit in Paris. • General Wolters characterized the Iranian resistance as a "strategic asset" for global security, noting that the movement has successfully seized "strategic campaign momentum."

• Military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have peaked following a drone attack on a commercial vessel and subsequent U.S. retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian coastal facilities. • The escalation has triggered an unprecedented internal conflict in Tehran between officials advocating for absolute military control and those supporting multilateral diplomacy.

• Dr. Noa Gafni has identified geopolitics as the second of her "New Five Forces" currently shaping the global business landscape. • The shift marks a transition from a globalization era focused on operational efficiency to one defined by rising nationalism and great-power competition.

• Nitin Pai argues that India must urgently refocus its diplomatic efforts on strengthening ties with Iran due to the shifting geopolitical landscape in West Asia following the Gulf war. • The proposed strategy suggests that New Delhi should prioritize providing aid followed by increasing trade to foster a mutually beneficial relationship.

• From June 15 to 26, 2026, global attention focused on the implications of the Chişinău Declaration and ongoing geopolitical tensions. • Israel intensified its policies in occupied Palestine by establishing ad hoc military courts and implementing a blockade against the Sumud Flotilla.

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan plans to use new powers after local council opposes city scheme for seasonal pedestrianisationThe mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, plans to override opposition to al fresco dining in Soho after the local council failed to apply to a scheme for seasonal pedestrianisation that is being introduced across the capital this summer.From 2027, restaurants in London’s entertainment district will be allowed to put chairs outside in the warmer months despite a longstanding local row on the issue. Continue reading...

The Happy Valley actor is lined up as the lead in German director Thomas Ostermeier’s first Shakespearean play in EnglishJames Norton is to take on his first major Shakespearean stage role and play Hamlet in the West End next year.The King & Conqueror star said it was a “privilege” and “pretty terrifying” to be cast as the tragic prince in the acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier’s production next autumn. Norton was last on stage in 2023 in the harrowing A Little Life, based on Hanya Yanagihara’s novel, which the actor described as the hardest thing he has ever done. Continue reading...

Commissioner calls for overhaul of state support after reporting 10% rise in young patient referrals last yearMore than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, with referrals up 10% from the year previous, according to a report by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza. She said the country faced a “crisis” in young people’s mental health.The number of patients who had an active referral to children and young people’s mental health services across England surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the number recorded in 2018-19, and an almost 10% rise on the previous year. Continue reading...

British Heart Foundation expects about 45 people a day to die over next decade if current trends continueAbout 170,000 people are expected to die from heart-related conditions linked to obesity – one of the leading causes of preventable illnesses – by 2035, according to a leading charity.The analysis, conducted by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), found that about 45 people a day are expected to die from cardiovascular disease linked to excess weight and obesity in England over the next decade, as long as current trends in obesity rates continue. In the UK, about two in three adults are living with obesity, and worldwide, more than half of adults and a third of children and young people will be overweight or obese by 2050. Continue reading...