United Nations Officially Launches Global Hunt for António Guterres Successor Amid Escalating Geopolitical Crises and Institutional Pressures

• The provided text argues that peace diplomacy should not be measured by quantitative metrics or traditional weighing systems. • The core objective of these diplomatic efforts is to prevent the onset of conflicts and wars, reduce escalation during active hostilities, and facilitate post-war rebuilding.

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility on Thursday for an attack on a US military base located in Kuwait as part of "Operation Nasr-2." • In a retaliatory move, US air strikes targeting Iran's Zanjan province resulted in the deaths of at least three IRGC members.

• Iran utilized a three-day lull in bombings and Omani mediation as a tactical respite to replenish missile launchers and prepare a surprise attack. • The situation escalated rapidly within the last 24 hours, resulting in the largest wave of U.S. strikes against the Revolutionary Guard since the conflict began.

Passports with the president’s portrait, previously only available in DC, will be offered at 27 agencies nationwideUS politics live – latest updatesAmericans outside the nation’s capital will soon be able to get limited-edition passports that feature a picture of Donald Trump and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the state department announced.The department’s 27 passport agencies nationwide will start offering the special travel documents next month. They previously had only been available at the Washington DC passport office for in-person applicants. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he has ‘concerns’ about one of most significant overhauls of Keir Starmer’s governmentUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has indicated he will scrap plans to curtail jury trials in England and Wales, abandoning one of the most significant overhauls of Keir Starmer’s government.The prime minister said he had “concerns” about the proposals and that his “instincts” were to keep juries at the heart of the justice system. Continue reading...

Average pump price reaches 160p a litre, while diesel is up 14.5p to 179p and forecast to go to 185p soonBusiness live – latest updatesThe price of petrol has hit a new Iran War high at UK forecourts, adding to the financial pressure on millions of households about to embark on their annual holiday.The RAC said that in “very unwelcome news for drivers” the average pump price had reached 160p a litre, reversing the drop down to 151p in early July that followed the announcement of a fragile Middle East ceasefire. Continue reading...

More than 80 loved ones spoke of horrors of learning about Robert Bush’s crimes, including mother of a miscarried babyA funeral director has been jailed for 20 years for leaving dozens of bodies – including a miscarried baby – “rotting” in his mortuary and giving bereaved families the wrong ashes.Robert Bush, the owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Services in Hull, pleaded guilty to 67 offences spanning 12 years and affecting hundreds of families, including 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial. Continue reading...

President grapples with finding a resolution to Middle East conflict that has pushed up gasoline prices ahead of vital midterm electionsSign up for the US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.President Donald Trump will convene a cabinet meeting later today at his ⁠Camp David retreat as he grapples with how to resolve his war against Iran.President Donald Trump has said he may pull Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney-general until senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis leave office. The Republicans have demanded written assurances about the settlement of the president’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Cornyn recently lost the GOP primary in Texas and Tillis is not seeking reelection.The US Senate narrowly rejected a largely symbolic effort to check Donald Trump’s war in Iran, as a war powers resolution directing the president to end hostilities failed in a 49-50 vote.The House Democratic Women’s Caucus called on Thursday for an ethics committee investigation of Republican congressman Max Miller, a former Trump aide who has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife and former girlfriend.New polling commissioned by Fox News shows Texas Democrat James Talarico narrowly ahead of the state’s Trump-backed Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, in their contest for a seat in the US Senate. Continue reading...

Senators Warren and Van Hollen attack Republican ‘rubber stamps’ in Congress for surrendering authority to Trump. Plus, could AI take your job? Some workers in China already know the answerGood morning.Senior Democrats accused Republicans in the US Congress of becoming “gelatinous blobs” who will not stand up to Donald Trump and “rubber stamps” for his war on Iran.What else is happening in Washington? Trump has said a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza. However, briefings from both sides exposed disputes over its implementation that could prove difficult to overcome.What has Blanche said? Blanche has already said publicly that the payout fund to compensate victims of so-called government weaponization is not moving forward amid bipartisan backlash. But Cornyn and Tillis had sought assurances in writing, something Blanche has refused to do. Cornyn also sought to clarify the terms of the tax immunity portion of the agreement. Continue reading...

Contender, largest tagged male great white, heading north as overheating oceans alter range of several shark speciesThe largest tagged male great white shark in the Atlantic Ocean has been identified traveling up the US and Canada coastline amid a surge in sightings of sharks that are increasingly shifting their movement patterns due to the overheating of the oceans.The great white shark, named Contender, is nearly 14ft long and weighs more than 1,650lbs. The hulking fish has been pinged in several locations off North Carolina and Maine as he headed north for the summer, with Contender’s last known location located off Nova Scotia in Canada on 11 July. Continue reading...

Senators Warren and Van Hollen attack Republican ‘rubber stamps’ in Congress for surrendering authority to TrumpSenior Democrats accused Republicans in the US Congress of becoming “gelatinous blobs” who won’t stand up to Donald Trump and “rubber stamps” for his war on Iran.Elizabeth Warren, a US senator for Massachusetts, and Chris Van Hollen, a US senator for Maryland, argued that the Republican-controlled Congress had surrendered its constitutional authority to the president. Continue reading...