Begins

• The Parliament's Monsoon Session opened with a clash between the Centre and Opposition parties over the government's recognition of the NCPI. • The NCPI is a newly formed party consisting of 20 rebel MPs from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), a move that strengthens the NDA's position in the Lok Sabha. • This political shift is significant as it pushes the NDA closer to achieving a two-thirds majority mark in the lower house.

• The 719 lawmakers of the European Parliament are beginning a six-week summer recess. • Despite the break, political maneuvering continues as members prepare for upcoming legislative battles and strategic shifts. • This period is critical for party leaders to negotiate alliances and plot political strategies for the next session.

Beneath the ​drone strikes and ​talk of ceasefires lies a battle over history that is testing ​Kyiv’s chances for an end to the conflict• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereI’ve just come back from a trip to Kyiv, where after more than four years of war, it can feel like the political and diplomatic news agenda has become cyclical: a suggestion that some kind of peace deal could be around the corner, followed by the swift intervention of reality that the Kremlin has no interest in abandoning its maximalist goals, and we all go back to the drawing board.We are now in a period where Russia has again stepped up its air attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Frequent mass drone and missile attacks keep Kyiv residents awake, and some even get through to the city centre, whereas in the past Ukrainian air defences were usually able to repel them. Nights can be noisy and scary: one attack while I was there killed 27 people. Thousands head into the metro to get some sleep. Continue reading...

• U.S. Central Command has announced the commencement of new military strikes targeting Iran, escalating tensions between the two nations. • The conflict is impacting global markets, specifically influencing oil prices and maritime security within the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. • Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the U.S. government on X, comparing its foreign policy to "bullying" and "cheating" in the context of its role as a World Cup host.

• The U.S. military has launched a new round of strikes against Iran, as confirmed by U.S. Central Command. • The attacks follow a period of "mixed messaging" from President Trump regarding the intended scope and scale of the military conflict. • These escalations are occurring amidst heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and are impacting global oil prices.

• Prince Harry has commenced a week-long visit to the UK to participate in various charity engagements. • During this trip, the Duke of Sussex is awaiting the court's verdict in a privacy lawsuit filed against the publisher of the Daily Mail. • The case centers on allegations of unlawful privacy intrusions, highlighting the ongoing legal tension between the royal family and the British press.

Result of court case against Associated Newspapers Limited expected this afternoon The Duke of Sussex, who arrived in the UK on Monday, had been hoping to stay at his father’s official residence for one night this week while he visits London.He is also going to Birmingham as he takes on a series of charity engagements including promoting the Invictus Games. Continue reading...

Meeting of 32 member states comes at crucial time for alliance after tensions with US over Iran and GreenlandNato leaders, including the moody US president Donald Trump, are set to meet in Ankara, Turkey today and tomorrow for the latest round of talks on transatlantic defence.As our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh says, there has been “a remarkable effort behind the scenes at Trump-proofing whatever happens in Ankara” given his tendency to go into angry outbursts directed at the allies.“Trump is expected to bring 1,400 people with him to Turkey, including those responsible for bringing back his toilet waste – a standard protocol to prevent other countries analysing the material for intelligence about his health. That the US is coming in large numbers is seen as a relief, given that Trump has at times flirted with the idea of leaving Nato, including at a summit in 2018.” Continue reading...

• Japan is initiating a massive automation surge, with the company Noetra preparing to deploy 10 million robots across the nation by 2040. • These machines will be integrated into critical sectors, including hospitals, kitchens, and factories, to streamline operations and increase efficiency. • The initiative is a strategic response to Japan's aging population, aiming to utilize robotics to provide essential care for elderly citizens.

Millions gather in streets and officials appear in public at Tehran funeral of Ali Khamenei in show of defiance. Plus, origin of mysterious ‘space balls’ in Australia revealedGood morning.Iran’s week of mass funeral processions ⁠for the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei has seen public calls for the killing of Donald Trump. Khamenei was killed along with other members of his family on February 28, the first day of the US and Israeli war against Iran.Who made the direct call for the killing of Trump? During part of the ceremony, the poet Mohammad Rasouli said: “I swear by your blood; Trump’s murder is our responsibility. Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive? … Why should we not kill the man who killed our imam? It would be a disgrace if we did not.”Where is the new supreme leader? Appointed 10 days after his father’s death, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public or recorded any audio message for three months. His absence was made more conspicuous when his brothers, Mustafa, Massoud and Meysam, stood alongside one another beside their father’s coffin.What did Giménez say? He said: “[TPS] is meant to safeguard those who are either fleeing countries that are failed states and are at risk of going back to them or countries that really can’t handle them right now, as is the case with Venezuela that has suffered a natural disaster.”What did the court decide? The ruling gave the green light to plans to end TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. TPS allows people to live and work in the US if the Department of Homeland Security deems their home countries unsafe due to war or natural disasters. Continue reading...

Millions join funeral procession in capital of Tehran to mourn Khamenei who was kiled in US-Israel airstrikes in FebruaryGood morning, and welcome to the Middle East live blog.Today marks the start of a mass funeral procession for Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Continue reading...

Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and IsraelThe funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader has begun as the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners early morning who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds.Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei – whose ⁠37-year reign was brought ⁠to an ​end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. Continue reading...

• A randomized platform trial has launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo to evaluate therapies for the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola with no existing licensed vaccines or treatments. • The study tests whether the monoclonal antibody MBP134, the antiviral drug remdesivir, or a combination of both can improve survival rates across patients of all ages. • Managed by the DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, Oxford University, and the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, the trial utilizes four groups, including a control group receiving standard high-quality care.

• The Vera Rubin Observatory has officially launched an unprecedented 10-year survey designed to map the solar system and the Milky Way. • The project aims to create a comprehensive new inventory of celestial bodies and investigate the elusive nature of dark matter. • This initiative matters as it provides a massive scale of data that could fundamentally change our understanding of the universe's composition.

• Iran has initiated public mourning for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, with officials claiming the funeral will attract approximately 20 million people. • Tehran has issued a stern warning to the United States and Israel, stating that any military attacks conducted during the funeral proceedings will be met with "harsh retaliation." • This escalation highlights the extreme regional volatility and the risk of opportunistic strikes during a period of national instability in Iran.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a clinical trial for two Ebola therapeutics in the Democratic Republic of Congo, enrolling the first patient this Thursday. • The trial aims to reduce mortality rates during an outbreak that began in May and has already resulted in 1,406 confirmed cases and 438 deaths. • WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that while some patients recover naturally, approved therapeutics are essential to saving more lives.

• The PARTNERS clinical trial has officially opened patient enrolment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to identify the first effective treatments for Bundibugyo virus (BVD). • This international effort focuses on evaluating potential therapies for Ebola disease specifically caused by the BVD strain, utilizing facilities like the ALIMA Ebola Treatment Centre. • The trial is critical because it addresses a specific gap in medical countermeasures for a dangerous virus that causes severe hemorrhagic fever.

• The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially launched its 10-year mission, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). • The project aims to create the "greatest cosmic movie ever" by systematically mapping and filming the night sky over a decade. • This initiative marks a new era of astronomy, providing a wider and deeper window into the universe to study cosmic phenomena.

• The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has officially launched a 50-day countdown for the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi. • Scheduled for August 17-23, the tournament will feature over 800 participants representing more than 55 countries. • This event marks a significant milestone for Indian sports as it is the first time the championships have returned to India in 17 years.

The influential role vacated by the new Makerfield MP will be fiercely contested by Labour, Reform and the GreensAs Andy Burnham maps out the final steps on his path to Downing Street, he may feel that his future is clear. But a look back over his shoulder reveals a cloudier outlook, inviting the question: what now happens to his former role as Greater Manchester’s mayor?An election has been set for 30 July, and with the job widely seen as having grown under Burnham’s tenure to become one of the most influential in British politics outside Westminster, Labour is desperate to cling on to it – but parties to its right and left both see an opportunity. Continue reading...

• European Council leaders are convening this week to address two critical, interconnected issues: the EU's long-term budget and the growing strategic challenge posed by China. • A bloc of nations, including Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria, is pushing for a more assertive stance regarding China's economic rise and the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine. • The discussions are vital as the EU seeks to balance internal financial stability with the need for increased defense and strategic autonomy amidst shifting U.S. relations.

• The US Federal Reserve has abandoned its previous bias toward cutting interest rates as inflation has surged to nearly double the central bank's target. • This policy shift coincides with the beginning of the Kevin Warsh era at the central bank and follows escalating geopolitical tensions stemming from Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran. • The decision matters as it signals a pivot toward tighter monetary policy to combat rising prices, potentially slowing economic growth to stabilize the currency.

Race set to test Donald Trump’s iron grip on the Republican partySign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Races for the Senate and governor in Oklahoma in primary elections begins today, as Donald Trump’s iron grip on the Republican party faces its next test.The United States and Iran have signed a memo of understanding giving them 60 days to find a way out of the war. The terms of the deal, which has not been publicly released, remain unclear. Vice-president JD Vance called the 1.5-page MOU a “very general document” whose details will be ironed out in the coming weeks of negotiations.The future of the strait of Hormuz remains cloudy. US officials have offered conflicting forecasts for the future of the straight, with Trump saying that by the end of the week it “will be completely open,” while other officials say it may take longer for shipping to return to something approximating the pre-war status quo. Iran foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghei, however, told reporters that Iran may still charge fees to pass through the straight.Trump is in Évian-les-Bains, France, to attend the G7 summit, where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoping world leaders will help him find a way out of his country’s four-year war. He spoke with Donald Trump ahead of the G7 meeting, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin is also attending.California govenor Gavin Newsom is accusing Trump of directing the US justice department to investigate him and his wife. Newsom, a prominent Democrat, tweeted that Trump was coming after him because he is considering running for the president. Continue reading...

Jonathan Rinderknecht is accused of starting the blaze that became Los Angeles’s deadliest and destructive wildfireThe trial of a 29-year-old charged with sparking a wildfire that went on to become the deadly Palisades inferno, the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, is set to begin on Monday in a case that has gripped the city as Angelenos seek answers more than a year after the deadly fire.Jonathan Rinderknecht, an occasional Uber driver, is accused of starting a small blaze on New Year’s Day 2025, later dubbed the Lachman fire. Although the Los Angeles fire department extinguished the fire on 2 January, it reignited five days later due to high winds and tinderbox conditions after burning undetected deep in the dry hillsides. Continue reading...

Pontiff to make marginalised a focus of first papal visit since 2011 including meeting with migrants in Canary IslandsPope Leo has urged political leaders to seek unity, rather than divide their populations for political gain, and said they must fight for peace, in the opening speech of his tour in Spain.The pope has made the marginalised a focus of his visit – his first tour of an EU country, apart from Italy – including meeting homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands. The pope, who has clashed with the US president, Donald Trump, over his immigration policies and war with Iran, said his visit was aimed at setting an example of respecting “every human being”. Continue reading...

Webcams showed snow blanketing the ground in some areas. In others, it was patchy or nonexistentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s snow season has officially begun, with resorts predicting a good season despite climactic threats and the cost-of-living crisis.Between 20cm and 40cm of snow fell across the Victorian and New South Wales alps before the long weekend, with the falls bolstered by snowmakers. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Treasury announced on May 28, 2026, that it has launched the Trump Accounts app on nationwide app stores as the next step in rolling out Trump Accounts. • The program is designed to let users access the new accounts digitally, with Treasury describing the launch as part of the implementation process for the savings vehicle. • The rollout matters because it introduces a new federal consumer finance product that could affect families, retirement-style saving behavior, and related financial institutions.

Anthony Odiong accused of sexually abusing three female congregants in Waco faces a maximum of life imprisonmentThe criminal trial of a Roman Catholic priest who ministered in Texas and south-east Louisiana and was charged with illicitly abusing his status as a clergyman to pursue sex with spiritually vulnerable female congregants began on Tuesday with jury selection.Anthony Odiong, 57, faces five counts of sexual assault in the first degree and two such counts in the second-degree in a state courthouse in Waco, Texas, involving three women whom he met while working there. Continue reading...