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• During the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79) in May 2026, global health leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) to ensure universal vaccine access. • On the sidelines of the assembly, the Tuberculosis Vaccine Accelerator Council held its fourth meeting to coordinate efforts among funders, technical agencies, and civil society. • The council focused on accelerating the availability and access to novel TB vaccines specifically designed for adolescents and adults.

• The Pharmaceutical Journal has released a detailed analysis of the new community pharmacy contract. • The report examines whether the new framework will stabilize medicines funding and evaluates its promises regarding long-term systemic reform. • A key focus is placed on how new national prescribing services will integrate with existing local commissioning structures.

• Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi revealed on June 4, 2026, that a biopic based on his life is currently in development. • Modi stated that actor Ranveer Singh has expressed a strong interest in portraying him in the upcoming film. • The project highlights the intersection of sports administration and cinema, focusing on the life of one of cricket's most controversial figures.

• Day 2 of the ASCO conference featured promising new data on lung cancer treatments and the introduction of new immunotherapies. • BioNTech and Pfizer presented positive results regarding their bispecific antibodies, while Kelun-Merck shared significant survival curve data. • FDA oncologist Rick Pazdur delivered "bold" remarks, highlighting the evolving landscape of cancer drug approvals and clinical standards.

• Primary election races are currently unfolding across six states, including New Jersey, California, and Iowa, as candidates advance toward midterm battles. • In separate political developments, Senator Marco Rubio is engaging with lawmakers to answer critical questions regarding government policy. • The Trump administration is weighing a decision to relocate certain groups to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the region's severe humanitarian crisis.

Secretary of state appears before Congress and repeats Trump administration’s claims that a deal is within reachIran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that it had refused to discuss even a month ago, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has claimed, even as Tehran announced it was halting peace talks and moving to fully close the strait of Hormuz.Appearing before the Senate foreign relations committee for the first time since the Trump administration launched the war against Iran – which was pitched as a short, weeks-long war, in February – Rubio repeated the Trump administration’s claims that a deal was within reach. Continue reading...

Fab Four are still making waves 60 years on – and upcoming Sam Mendes films are expected to turn the hype up to 11If anyone needed a reminder of the enduring cultural clout of the Beatles, the past few weeks have provided a glut. Firstly, there’s the small matter of The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Paul McCartney’s 20th solo album, billed as “an adventurous and limber take on guitar music” by the Guardian.When England announced their World Cup squad, the soundtrack was Come Together, played alongside a film of fashionable young people in New York and a clip of a young, puckish John Lennon. The same week Stephen Colbert was played off from his final episode of the Late Show by a Paul McCartney rendition of Hello Goodbye. Continue reading...

• U.S. Navy Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) are deploying to the Red Sea to project Marine power and secure critical international trade routes. • These forces utilize specialized amphibious connectors, such as Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft and Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels, to move personnel and equipment from ship to shore. • This capability is vital because it allows the U.S. to operate in areas without port facilities, enabling rapid responses to humanitarian crises or non-combatant evacuations.

• The 22nd edition of the Biografilm festival will take place in Bologna from June 5-15, 2026, focusing on documentaries about memory, politics, and life stories. • The event will showcase 64 films from 34 different countries, featuring 16 world premieres and a significant number of European co-productions. • The festival opens with "Broken English," an unconventional portrait of British cultural icon Marianne Faithfull directed by Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth.

US secretary of state appears to downplay warnings from Russian counterpart to move diplomats out of KyivUS secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the war in Ukraine “needs to come to an end,” after his conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.Responding to the strikes on Kyiv over the weekend and repeated warnings about more attacks planned in the coming days, Rubio said:“Look, every time you see these big strikes from one side or the other, it’s a reminder of why this is a terrible war that’s now gone on longer than the second world war, and it needs to come to an end.”“They sent a notice to all the embassies, and I think he was just calling me personally to tell me – they told all the embassies to – Kyiv’s going to be a very dangerous place – Kyiv’s been a very dangerous place now for a number of years.”“Look, the danger in all of these wars as they continue and then they go on is that they always have the threat of escalation, of spreading into something new.” Continue reading...

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a joint press availability at the State Department in Washington on May 25, signaling continued high-level US-India engagement. • The meeting comes as Washington and New Delhi manage trade, security, and Indo-Pacific coordination, with the two governments seeking to keep diplomatic channels active on strategic issues. • The talks matter because India remains a central US partner in regional balancing, supply-chain resilience, and coordination on global security challenges.

Secretary of state says a deal could materialise ‘today’, while Trump says talks with Iran proceeding constructively as he faces criticism from within his own partyHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran could materialise “today”. Continue reading...

• Senator Marco Rubio recently highlighted India's commitment to purchase $500 billion in goods from the United States. • Experts suggest this purchase intent may no longer be relevant due to the collapse of the reciprocal tariff framework following an unfavorable US Supreme Court verdict. • The shift in legal and trade frameworks has reportedly undermined the economic logic of the India–US bilateral trade agreement (BTA).

• U.S. Senator Marco Rubio announced that India has committed to purchasing $500 billion in American goods over the next five years. • The procurement will primarily focus on three key sectors: energy, technology, and agriculture. • This commitment follows a framework for an Interim Agreement reached between the United States and India in February of this year.

Secretary of state suggests July meeting of alliance will be fraught as US demands help in strait of HormuzDonald Trump is disappointed that Nato allies refused to become more actively involved in attacking Iran, the US secretary of state has said, setting up what could become a fraught summit of the alliance in July.Marco Rubio, meeting with foreign ministers of the military alliance, emphasised that he expected the rift would be discussed at the July meeting in Ankara, making the summit “one of the more important” in Nato’s 77-year history. Continue reading...

US secretary of state says president would like a negotiated agreement with Havana but likelihood ‘is not high’The US president, Donald Trump, and the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Thursday again raised the spectre of military intervention in Cuba, a renewed threat that takes on greater weight a day after the administration announced criminal charges against the island’s former leader, Raúl Castro.Trump said previous US presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades but that “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it”. Continue reading...

US secretary of state says WHO was ‘a little late’ in identifying deadly Ebola outbreak in the DRC and UgandaUS secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) was “a little late” in identifying the deadly Ebola outbreak in the the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.On Tuesday, Rubio told reporters: “The lead is obviously going to be CDC (the Centers for Disease Control) and the World Health Organization, which was a little late to identify this thing unfortunately.” Continue reading...

Secretary of state says US made clear America’s position on Taiwan, as Trump-Xi talks continue for second dayXi warns Trump of ‘clashes and even conflicts’ with US over TaiwanAnalysis: For anxious Taiwan, Trump’s silence after Xi talks is best possible outcomeDonald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet on Friday to wrap up a high-stakes two-day state visit that has featured pomp and business deals but also a stark warning from Xi that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push US-China relations to “a very dangerous place”.Trump is on the first visit by a US president to China since 2017 and has been hoping for tangible results that might improve his sagging approval ratings ahead of the crucial midterm elections.Trump told Fox News that China had agreed to order 200 Boeing jets – its first purchase of US-made commercial jets in nearly a decade. But markets were expecting a much higher number, with earlier news reports suggesting 500 or more could be involved, and Boeing shares fell more than 4% after the comments.Xi’s remarks on Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims, represented a sharp warning during a pomp-filled summit that otherwise appeared friendly and relaxed. They came in a closed-door meeting that ran for more than two hours, Beijing said.US secretary of state Marco Rubio told NBC News that Taiwan was discussed, saying the Chinese “always raise it ... we always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics”. Rubio is among a large contingent of US officials and business leaders who travelled with Trump to China.At a lavish state banquet on Wednesday, Xi called the China-US relationship the most important in the world and added: “We must make it work and never mess it up.” Trump earlier told Xi their two countries were “going to have a fantastic future together”.The summit has been aimed at maintaining a fragile trade truce struck when the leaders last met in October and Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of vital rare earths.With news agencies Continue reading...

The Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England striker says his life story – now in development with the rapper’s Merky Films – has ‘hard-hitting moments, but in the end I want it to give people hope and joy’Stormzy has announced he is to produce a biopic of former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England striker Ian Wright.Wright, who successfully transitioned to TV punditry after a distinguished playing career that included becoming Arsenal’s highest ever goalscorer, before he was overtaken by Thierry Henry, said he wanted the film to “give people hope and joy”. Continue reading...

Research from UCL suggests visiting art galleries or museums, singing and painting can help improve health outcomesSinging, painting or visiting a gallery or museum helps people age more slowly, according to the latest study to link taking an active interest in art and culture with improved health.The findings are the first to show that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, lead to people staying biologically younger. Continue reading...

Diplomatic efforts continuing despite fighting in and around contested strait of Hormuz in recent daysMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said that Washington is expecting a response from Iran on Friday to its proposals for an interim deal to end the conflict in the Middle East, as Iran accused the US of breaching the increasingly fragile ceasefire announced last month.In recent days there have been the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the contested strait of Hormuz since the informal truce began. The rise in violence followed Donald Trump’s announcement – then rapid pause – of a new naval mission aimed at opening the strategic waterway. Continue reading...

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the Vatican on Thursday for 2½ hours to discuss Middle East peace efforts. • The visit aims to mend fences following President Donald Trump's recent public criticisms of the Pope over Iran policy. • Rubio focused on achieving a durable peace amid ongoing U.S. pressures on Tehran, including a naval blockade and peace proposal.

Comments with optimistic tone went viral on social media, with some calling it an unofficial start of his 2028 campaignMarco Rubio, the top US diplomat, has stoked speculation about a potential run for president in 2028 by releasing a campaign-style video that articulates a hopeful vision of America.The minute-long vertical video features images of Rubio, Donald Trump, jets flying over the White House, Americans of different races, former US president Ronald Reagan, and the Stars and Stripes being hoisted against a blue sky. Continue reading...

US secretary of state will hold talks with Italian government, also berated by Trump for not supporting Iran warThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is to meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday in an effort to ease tensions after Donald Trump’s repeated criticisms of the first North American pontiff.Amid unprecedented strain on relations between the Holy See and Washington, Rubio is expected to meet Leo at the Apostolic Palace in the morning, before holding a series of meetings with the Italian government. Continue reading...

US president says he will briefly pause Project Freedom after just one day; Rubio says US has achieved objectives of Iran operation; Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi flies to ChinaTrump puts ‘Project Freedom’ on hold, saying he hopes to finalise deal with IranIranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi for talks in Beijing on Wednesday, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, without giving details on the discussion.Iran’s Fars news agency earlier said Araghchi would “discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments with his Chinese counterpart”.US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the military objectives of so-called “Operation Epic Fury” have concluded and the offensive stage of the war with Iran is “over”. Speaking at the White House press briefing, Rubio insisted that ongoing US military action in the strait of Hormuz is “defensive” in nature and a separate operation, in line with the Trump administration’s argument that it doesn’t need approval from Congress to continue the war against Iran. “There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first,” he told reporters, urging Iran to “make the sensible choice” and negotiate a deal.With the status of the ceasefire in doubt, Donald Trump declined to say what would constitute a violation, telling reporters only that Iran knows “what not to do”. It comes amid rising tensions after both sides exchanged fire in the strait of Hormuz on Monday. “Well, you’ll find out because I’ll let you know,” the US president said. “They know what to do, or what not to do more importantly.”Before Trump’s announcement on Tuesday evening, his defense secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that “Project Freedom” had allowed the US to gain control of the strait, despite Iran claiming it has actually strengthened its control of the waterway, and thousands of cargo ships remain stranded there. Continue reading...

• BioNTech revealed plans to close manufacturing sites in Germany and Singapore, impacting up to 1,860 jobs, as it shifts from COVID-19 vaccine production to oncology therapies. • The company, which co-developed the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty with Pfizer, will also repurchase up to $1 billion in shares amid a leadership transition. • This restructuring reflects the post-pandemic decline in demand for COVID vaccines, positioning BioNTech to focus on cancer treatments with greater long-term potential.

US secretary of state says US is better off than other countries hit by disruption in oil suppliesMarco Rubio has argued the US is in a “very fortunate” position as fuel prices continue to climb nationwide amid disruption sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran.With average US fuel prices now approaching $4.50 a gallon – their highest level in four years – the US secretary of state was asked on Tuesday how long Americans should accept them at such levels. Continue reading...

Letter from House Democrats to secretary of state calls for end to ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programsHouse Democrats have asked secretary of state Marco Rubio to publicly announce that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, arguing that Washington must end decades of ambiguity over the issue amid the conflict with Iran.In a letter sent on Monday, 30 Democrats wrote that it was unsustainable for Donald Trump to collaborate with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a military campaign against Iran – with the stated goal of preventing the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon – without publicly acknowledging the US ally’s possession of the bomb. Continue reading...