Western Australian poultry farms locked down after H5N1 bird flu discovered in wild birds

• An emergency session focused on the situation in Lebanon has been added to the ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the United States in Switzerland. • The addition of this session comes amid escalating tensions and instability within Lebanon, necessitating urgent high-level discussions.

• Iran has re-closed the Strait of Hormuz shortly after signing a ceasefire agreement with the United States. • South Korean shipbuilders are establishing a naval production hub in Elefsina, Greece, creating a strategic convergence of South Korean infrastructure, US development finance, and Chinese port equity.

• On Saturday, June 20, 2026, tensions escalated as Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz amidst an ongoing war involving the U.S. and Israel. • Concurrent with the maritime blockade, Israel continued its military offensive and attacks targeting Lebanon.

• The United States and Iran are scheduled to hold diplomatic talks this Sunday in Switzerland to address ongoing tensions. • Simultaneously, Tehran has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for global oil shipments.

Industrial action is biggest escalation yet in months-long dispute with populist government of Andrej BabišThousands of public service media employees in Czechia are holding a 24-hour strike after the government of the billionaire prime minister, Andrej Babiš, pushed ahead with controversial plans to change the way the country’s public broadcasters are funded.Monday’s industrial action by staff at Czech Television and Czech Radio marks the biggest escalation yet in a months-long confrontation between the broadcasters and Babiš’s populist administration. Continue reading...

A national heatwave plan has been activated to help people stay cool during the Netherlands’ increasingly hot summersHouseholds in Amsterdam are being urged to hang their curtains outside their windows as health experts recommend simple hacks to moderate the heatwave rolling across the Netherlands, where homes were built for old-fashioned damp and coldish northern European weather.In a viral social media post last week, Eline Coolen, the heat coordinator at the city’s public health institute, urged sweaty city-dwellers to rig up temporary curtain rails or drape curtains or sheets outside to stop the sun’s rays reaching their large windows. Continue reading...

Preliminary data show 47.7% of homes sold at auction in the week ending 21 June. It is the lowest the rate has been since April 2020Clearance rates in Australia’s capital cities have fallen to a six-year low, with fewer than half of homes at auction finding buyers.Preliminary data from Cotality shows 47.4% of homes that went to auction sold in the week ending Sunday, 21 June. That figure is a weighted average encompassing different rates in different capitals, but the numbers are striking across the board. Continue reading...

Mayor says ‘violence has no place in our city’ as president criticizes governor for not accepting national guard troops At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured in several shootings in Chicago since Friday, police said, with Donald Trump once again calling for military intervention in the midwestern city.In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned why Illinois’s governor, JB Pritzker, had not welcomed military deployment. Continue reading...

Leftwing opponent alleges vote count irregularities after Trump-endorsed lawyer secures narrow majorityThe Trump-admiring far-right millionaire lawyer and self-styled “outsider” Abelardo de la Espriella has won Colombia’s presidential runoff, defeating the leftwing senator Iván Cepeda.With 99.65% of ballots counted in the preliminary vote tally, de la Espriella had secured 12.91m votes, or 49.65%, just 248,310 more than Cepeda, who received 12.67m votes, or 48.7%. A further 1.6% of ballots were cast blank. Continue reading...

Two-thirds of respondents support increasing the 2% digital services tax for multinationalsTaxpayers want the UK to increase levies on giant global technology companies such as Facebook owner Meta, Google and Amazon, a survey of Britons’ attitudes on corporate taxes suggests.The polling released on Monday by the Fair Tax Foundation – abody providing businesses with certification around responsible tax conduct – found that 67% of respondents believe that the government should charge higher digital services taxes on multinational technology groups “to increase their overall tax contribution in the UK”. Continue reading...

FAA investigating incident involving Delta and American jets that forced Delta plane to abort landing attemptA Delta jet was roughly 300ft (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said on Sunday.The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan international airport. Continue reading...