Supreme court approves Alabama map that erases majority-Black district

• The Albanese government is facing increasing pushback over proposed reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with critics warning that cuts could cause significant harm to participants. • In the Middle East, Israel continued its overnight offensive, while Tehran announced it is halting peace talks and intends to fully close the strait of Hormuz.

• A summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping took place, characterized by significant pageantry but lacking in substantive policy outcomes. • The event occurred amidst a shifting global landscape, featuring reported cracks in Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship and evolving tensions between major powers.

• UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed released a report detailing the impact of the UN development system's efforts through 2025. • Key achievements include providing food aid to 121 million people, measles vaccinations to 191 million children, and social protection to 84 million individuals.

Democratic state house representative beats Zach Wahls and will face off against Trump-backed Republican HinsonSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailIowa voters nominated candidates in primary elections held on Tuesday, setting the stage for months of fervent campaigning ahead of the November midterms in which the state may play a significant role in deciding the balance of power in Congress.A red state that the GOP has dominated for the past decade, Democrats believe they can be competitive in three of its four House races, its Senate election, and the contest to replace Kim Reynolds, the retiring Republican governor. Continue reading...

Move comes after meeting in which Pelley said network chief Bari Weiss was ‘murdering’ news showScott Pelley, one of the most well-known and respected journalists in broadcast journalism, has been fired by CBS News after clashing with network brass over last week’s severe round of cuts at 60 Minutes, the show he has worked on since 2004, the Guardian confirmed.While changes were long expected at 60 Minutes, CBS News management shocked staffers last week by firing the network’s executive producer, executive editor and two correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, without giving a specific reason for their terminations. Continue reading...

Two-time Grammy winner was best known for songs from Beauty and the Beast and AladdinPeabo Bryson, the R&B singer best known as the voice behind the Oscar-winning Disney film duets Beauty and the Beast with Regina Belle, and A Whole New World with Celine Dion from Aladdin, has died. He was 75.His family said in a statement that Bryson, who won two Grammy awards, died Tuesday, days after having a stroke. Continue reading...

Reform advisory committee says changes will undermine scheme’s original intentions and give unprecedented power to the health ministerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe national disability insurance scheme’s proposed overhaul will cause “material harm” to Australians with disabilities, undermine its original intentions and hand unprecedented power to the health minister, the federal government’s own reform advisory committee warns. The Australian Human Rights Commission has also urged the government to slam the brakes on the potentially “regressive” changes to the NDIS, saying more consultation time was needed to avoid the “clear risk of adverse and unintended human rights impacts”.The Albanese government is eager to move ahead with changes that are estimated to remove more than 200,000 people from the $50bn-a-year scheme by 2030 in a bid to secure its financial sustainability. Continue reading...

People urged to avoid downtown as man, reportedly with bomb strapped to body, inside bank with number of peopleA man barricaded himself inside a bank in the southern California city of Bakersfield with an unknown number of people, police said on Tuesday.The unidentified man had a bomb strapped to his body, according to Bakersfield Now. Continue reading...

The US military said aircraft disabled the engine room of the unladen Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it passed through international watersUS forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable a tanker attempting to break through the American blockade and reach Iran, amid an enduring standoff in the strait of Hormuz and stalling efforts by Washington to secure a new ceasefire agreement with Tehran.The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said its aircraft disabled the engine room of the unladen Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie on Tuesday as it passed through international waters toward Kharg Island, north of the strait near Kuwait, after the crew ignoring repeated warnings over a 24-hour period. Continue reading...

Members of Jalisco New Generation cartel used fake retail store in San Diego as a front for trafficking drugsFederal prosecutors have charged four suspects with trafficking more than one ton of cocaine for the Jalisco New Generation cartel using a fake retail store in San Diego as a front for a sophisticated tunnel that ran across the border to Tijuana, Mexico.The defendants include two Mexican nationals and two Americans charged with conspiring to traffic drugs across the US-Mexico border. The suspects, who range in age from 18 to 32, all face sentences that could land them in prison for life. One of them, Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez, also faces the charge of “constructing, financing or using unauthorized tunnels”. Continue reading...

Bank of England says updated imagery will celebrate native wildlife while bolstering anti-counterfeit featuresPuffins, dolphins and bumblebees are among the wildlife that could feature on new banknotes in the UK as the Bank of England announces its shortlist.There has been controversy over the decision, with figures including Nigel Farage criticising the Bank for, he claimed, wanting to replace Winston Churchill with a beaver. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said it was “a silly thing to do”, and Reform UK’s Farage called it “absolutely crackers”. In the end, no beaver appeared on the shortlist. Mammal options include bottlenose dolphins and red foxes. Continue reading...