‘Tech firms are losing the public’: social media age bans near tipping point

• IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi spoke with reporters in Japan on Friday, June 26, regarding nuclear non-proliferation efforts. • Grossi stated that the primary objective of the recent agreement between the United States and Iran is to prevent the development of nuclear weapons within Iran.

• An Iranian state newspaper has inadvertently highlighted the strategic weaknesses and internal pressures—political, military, and economic—forcing Tehran to return to diplomatic negotiations. • These vulnerabilities coincide with a reported trilateral agreement between the United States, Israel, and Lebanon aimed at stabilizing the region.

• Israeli aid teams from NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief are deploying to Venezuela to provide emergency assistance following a series of powerful earthquakes. • CEO Alice Miller emphasized that the organization prioritizes immediate medical aid and respect over political flags to ensure rapid response in disaster zones.

• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims to have destroyed eight U.S. military infrastructures located in Kuwait and Bahrain. • The operation was carried out using a combination of missiles and drones in a coordinated joint strike.

• Gulf nations and Western leaders are expressing concern over Iran's continued ability to project power and influence through proxy militia groups. • Despite existing deals between the US and Iran, analysts believe Tehran will likely increase its support for these armed groups to maintain regional leverage.

• A ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is facing a critical test following new attacks in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. • The instability occurs shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon announced a "framework deal" between those nations.

• The potential resolution of the conflict between the US and Iran through negotiation and economic compromise suggests a global shift toward pragmatism over ideological absolutism. • Current state behavior indicates that national security and economic prosperity are now prioritized over shared ideological alignment.

• The U.S. and Israel have concluded a targeted military attack against Iran, marking the end of a specific escalation cycle. • The operation reflects the ongoing volatility of the Middle East, where strategic strikes are used to deter Iranian aggression and protect regional allies.

More than 191m people in Europe face temperatures over 35C, with extreme heat warnings from Germany to Hungary‘A sad inevitability’: after decades of climate warnings, why is Europe so unprepared for rising heat?Poland, Czechia and Slovakia are braced for record temperatures of over 40C as a heatwave linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe spreads east.More than 191 million people in Europe faced temperatures of at least 35C on Sunday, with extreme heat warnings in Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary. Continue reading...

Labour deputy leader says she thinks energy secretary would be good in Treasury but ‘tittle-tattle’ over cabinet posts is ‘unedifying’Ed Miliband would make a “good” chancellor to Andy Burnham, Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has said, ahead of the likely next prime minister’s first major speech on the economy since he returned to Westminster.Powell, who served as Miliband’s chief of staff in opposition and is close to the former party leader, appeared to endorse him to run the Treasury – although some in Burnham’s camp acknowledge such a move could be politically risky. Continue reading...

Urn with loving message to a person named as Gary Bonsor to be buried in local churchyard after efforts to find family draw a blankIt is a puzzling story with a still unsolved mystery at its heart: just who is the individual whose cremated remains were left on the counter of a burger van at Newbury racecourse?And why – despite the cremation urn being labelled with a name and a message that hints at a loving family – has no one come forward to claim it? Continue reading...

Any new tax on the rich won’t raise much money unless many of the exceptions and loopholes are dealt withIn this new era of rampaging oligarchs, nothing may seem as satisfying as slapping a tax on Elon Musk’s new trillion-dollar fortune. What most bothers Americans about federal taxes is that billionaires don’t pay their fair share. As the race to develop artificial intelligence mints more billionaires, policymakers’ temptation to directly tax their brobdingnagian wealth is becoming unbearable.The first state out of the blocks is California, where voters in November will decide whether to impose a one-time tax of 5% on fortunes worth more than $1bn. Given the ease with which plutocrats avoid paying income taxes, the case for this sort of direct tax on their stash appears unassailable. Continue reading...