WORLD

• UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reported on Tuesday that violence and exchanges of fire in Lebanon have significantly decreased compared to the previous weekend. • In the Gaza Strip, OCHA warned that critical shortages of fuel, engine oil, and spare parts are severely hindering water production, wastewater treatment, and waste management. • To combat a growing pest infestation, the UNDP is leading pesticide applications while UNICEF and UNRWA manage public awareness and safety campaigns.

• The United States is increasingly utilizing economic power and tariffs as geopolitical weapons to achieve strategic goals that traditional diplomacy cannot. • This shift reflects a broader global trend where powerful economies frame strategic power moves as adherence to universal principles or humanitarian missions. • The evolution of trade instruments into tools of strategic competition signals a move away from simple economic exchange toward a more aggressive geopolitical stance.

• The author argues that Turkey and Israel are the primary hegemonic aspirants in the Middle East, predicting an eventual collision between the two as Iranian power collapses. • A potential conflict would likely expand beyond the Middle East, impacting Greece, Cyprus, and broader European stability. • The analysis suggests that the U.S. must prioritize conflict management to prevent intra-alliance warfare and ensure the continued freedom of navigation and energy development.

• The United States is facing a critical need to transform its military role and operational strategies in response to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. • To adapt, the U.S. defense industrial base must accelerate innovation and collaborate with trusted international partners to develop and co-produce advanced weaponry. • This shift is essential because current military capabilities and production speeds may not meet the high-intensity demands of future warfare in the Middle East.

• Global news reports highlight ongoing uncertainty regarding a potential deal with Iran and the persistence of economic price shocks caused by war. • The European Union is actively pushing back against Russia while officially initiating Ukraine's path toward EU accession. • A retrospective analysis examines how Ford’s historical success fundamentally reshaped global industry, urban development, and labor practices.

• UNICEF released a report revealing that 1.1 billion children—nearly half the global youth population—are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards. • These environmental threats are critically endangering the health, education, and overall survival of children worldwide. • Separately, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg briefed the Security Council on diplomatic efforts in cities including Riyadh, Muscat, and New York to resolve the conflict in Yemen.

Peter Murrell affair may feature, but contest seen as straight fight between SNP and Tories over energy policyThe contest for Aberdeen South, a constituency that spans urban social housing and detached homes with sculpted gardens, has been dominated by one topic: the future of North Sea oil and gas.The drama gripping the Labour party at Westminster and Andy Burham’s nascent leadership pitch in Makerfield barely affects this byelection, which also takes place on Thursday. The vote is touted as a straight fight between the Scottish National party and the Conservatives, and one in which energy policy dominates. Continue reading...

British retirees Jane and Alan Kelvey say they do not want incident in Channel to stop them enjoying their sailing tripUK politics live – latest updatesA British woman on a yacht in the Channel near which a Russian warship fired warning shots has told how she does not want the incident to be blown out of proportion, saying: “We don’t want world war three to start because of this.”Jane Kelvey, 69, and her husband, Alan, 70, were on their yacht, Bright Future, travelling from the south coast of England towards France on Tuesday when they came into close contact with the Admiral Grigorovich, a 409ft Russian frigate. Continue reading...

Firm becomes latest carmaker to roll back on move away from fossil fuels with push for US sales growth and making more hybrid petrol modelsJaguar Land Rover has U-turned on plans to shift one of its factories to making only electric cars as part of an effort to focus on growth in the US, as Britain’s largest carmaker further rowed back on the transition away from fossil fuels.The manufacturer told investors on Wednesday it would offer petrol and hybrid versions of new models, including smaller SUVs that had been planned to shift to all-electric sales. Continue reading...

Keith Sonderling, acting head of the agency, threatens to withhold administrative funds from states for first time in historyKeith Sonderling sent letters to 53 states and US territories demanding action to “combat waste, fraud, and abuse” within the unemployment insurance program, threatening to withhold administrative funds from states for the first time history.“We are officially putting governors on notice,” said the acting US secretary of labor. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars – no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.” Continue reading...

Sudden shifts from wet to dry weather, or vice versa, may foil typical drought and flooding prevention measuresRising temperatures may trigger a dangerous increase in “hydroclimatic whiplash” in rivers that would make traditional approaches to flood and drought planning insufficient, a study has found.As temperatures rise owing to the worsening climate crisis, rivers will experience increasingly rapid transitions between heavy downpours and long dry spells – called hydroclimatic whiplash events – because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, intensifying rainfall extremes. Continue reading...

Images show Israeli military using six companies’ bulldozers and excavators to demolish south Lebanon villagesHuman rights experts have alleged that six multinational construction equipment conglomerates may be aiding and abetting war crimes by supplying excavators and bulldozers to Israel, after photos and videos showed the Israeli military using their equipment to demolish villages in south Lebanon. The Guardian geolocated and verified images showing the Israeli military using excavators made by six companies – Caterpillar, Volvo, Hyundai, Doosan, Hitachi and Komatsu – to destroy homes, public utilities, shops and other structures across southern Lebanon.Israel has levelled entire villages inside the “yellow line”, a 608 sq km area occupied by Israel along the Lebanese-Israeli border. At least 46 villages in south Lebanon have suffered heavy damage, most of it caused by demolitions carried out after the 17 April Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, according to a satellite analysis by Bellingcat. Continue reading...

Group of hikers encountered a bear and her cubs and the mother bear charged the group, swiping at one of the teensA teenage hiker was injured by a black bear in a mountainous recreation area outside Seattle on Tuesday, according to officials, who closed the trail where it happened.About 12.45pm on Tuesday, a group of three basketball players from Thomas Jefferson high school were about 2.7 miles (4.4km) up the Mount Si trail in the Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area when they encountered a bear and her cubs. The conservation area is composed of four mountain peaks, and about 35 miles south-east of Seattle. Continue reading...

Campaigners welcome announcement cutting levies on menstrual health items, but say their work to end period poverty is ‘far from over’Pakistan plans to abolish “period tax”, in a victory for young campaigners who had taken the government to court over the charges.Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced that sanitary towels and related items were “daily necessities that are indispensable for women’s health, dignity and full participation in social activities”, and said he intended to remove the sales tax. Continue reading...

Drivers suspended as prosecutors investigate group said to have been used to share and comment on CCTV imagesA group of tram drivers in Milan have been suspended from their jobs amid an investigation into a WhatsApp group in which they allegedly exchanged sexist and vulgar comments about images of female passengers.Milan prosecutors placed at least one employee of ATM, the city’s public transport firm, under investigation on Tuesday for allegedly accessing an IT system without authorisation and for hacking a CCTV system to obtain images of female passengers. Continue reading...

Jimmy Chilimigras graduated high school at 12 and is now pursuing a master of laws degree – and he wants to find ‘an area to do some good’A Mississippi teenager who in May became one of the youngest ever law school graduates says he wants to help reform US tax law as well as litigate against social media companies over claims that they design their products to be addictive – and therefore harmful – to youths.“What they’re creating is extremely predatory and harmful, and yet they’re sending it out knowing that it’s … harmful and not really taking any action to reduce the harm or address it,” 18-year-old Jimmy Chilimigras said with respect to his interest in participating in such social media litigation. Continue reading...

Two-thirds of Americans say they are worried about climate but level of media coverage does not reflect thisUS political and media discourse has drifted away from the climate crisis amid a frontal assault by Donald Trump upon policies to limit global heating and the president’s pugnacious demands to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas.Yet while elite attention on climate has waned, even among some previously vocal Democrats who have wound back on criticism of the fossil fuels that are overheating our planet, the American public remains concerned about the climate crisis and continues to favour action to deal with it, according to experts and polling. Continue reading...

Move will allow Trump’s controversial pick, Bill Pulte, to assume role and remain in place for at least several weeksSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump abruptly halted the confirmation process for Jay Clayton as the US’s top intelligence chief early Wednesday, in a move that will allow Trump’s controversial selection for acting director of national security, Bill Pulte, to assume the role and remain in place for at least several weeks until Clayton is confirmed.Trump pushed the Senate to confirm Clayton after his appointment of Pulte as acting director sparked bipartisan pushback and stalled his administration’s push for renewal of the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa). Continue reading...