UK social media ban could cut lifeline for disabled children, campaigners warn

• Despite the rise of globalization and the digital economy, global conflicts and power dynamics remain fundamentally rooted in geography. • Critical infrastructure, including semiconductor facilities, data centers, and undersea cables, as well as mineral supply chains, remain concentrated in specific physical locations.

• An Iranian official stated that achieving an end to the current war requires the termination of Israel’s occupation of Lebanon. • In a separate development, it was noted that congressional leaders and intelligence committees typically receive high-level briefings and advance notice of major events before rank-and-file members.

• An Iranian official stated that a permanent end to the war must include the termination of Israel’s occupation of Lebanon, according to state television reports. • These developments follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement to conclude the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. conflict with Iran.

• President Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Evian-les-Bains, France, during the G7 summit to discuss a deal to end the U.S. conflict with Iran. • Trump described the agreement as a potential breakthrough for global security, though some lingering questions remain before the formal signing.

• UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to combat food insecurity and famine risks in Somalia. • The funding arrives as humanitarian partners report that many newly displaced families have lost their belongings and tents, forcing them to rely on relatives and friends.

• Author Dylan Muggleton analyzes the feasibility of a "grand bargain" or grand plan to stabilize the current global geopolitical environment. • The analysis argues that such a deal is unrealistic because modern competition occurs across multiple simultaneous domains, including technology, energy, security, and economics.

The meeting has been delayed due to resistance over details of the youth mobility scheme allowing under-30s freedom to work and study in EuropeThe EU and the UK have announced they will hold their next summit to discuss the “reset” in relations between London and Brussels on 22 July.The summit, which will be held in Brussels, has been delayed several times, with talks over a youth mobility scheme allowing under-30s to work, travel or study in each other’s country deadlocked in recent weeks, fuelling speculation the summit would be postponed until the autumn. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning actor hails ‘electrifying opportunity’ to present lectures and seminars in contemporary theatreThe Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett has promised to cause a “creative rumpus” in her latest role, as visiting professor at the University of Oxford.The Australian star is the latest in a long line of celebrated thespians to be appointed as the Cameron Mackintosh visiting professor of contemporary theatre at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Continue reading...

Lauren Edwards dismisses party internal concerns and criticises ‘anti-democratic’ way bill was haltedThe Labour MP Lauren Edwards who will bring the assisted dying bill back to the Commons has said she will not be dissuaded by concerns about Labour divisions, saying MPs should allow the House of Lords to finish its work on the bill after it was blocked from a vote by peers.It also can be revealed that the Labour MP and disability rights campaigner Marie Tidball is to co-sponsor the bill, alongside the former minister Alex Davies- Jones. Continue reading...

PM hit by three-pronged attack from ex-defence secretary, former defence minister and chief of defence staffUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer is leaving British troops underfunded and unable to carry out the operations he expects from them, according to scathing remarks delivered in parliament on Tuesday by three senior defence figures.The prime minister came under fire in separate interventions from his former defence secretary John Healey, the former defence minister Al Carns and the country’s current senior military officer, Rich Knighton. Continue reading...

Twelve animal cases have been confirmed so far among cattle, goats, sheep and a dog in Texas and New MexicoScrewworm cases are rising in the US as the outbreak spreads beyond the initial contamination zones.Twelve animal cases have been confirmed so far, a significant increase from the first case detected in a calf in south Texas on 3 June. The growing number of infections has alarmed agricultural experts, who warn that a wider outbreak could have serious consequences for the Texas beef industry. Continue reading...

Ajay Pant charged with sanctions breach over shadow fleet ship carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil boarded by British troops The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel containing 98,000 tonnes of oil, which was intercepted by British troops in the Channel, has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with breaching sanctions.Ajay Pant, 38, has been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Continue reading...