Brings

Survivors begin receiving letters with payment amounts months after $305m settlement agreement was struck Survivors of child rape and other sexual abuse within New Orleans’s Roman Catholic archdiocese learned that $641,000 or so is the most they can individually get under a settlement approved in December to resolve a years-long bankruptcy protection case.Those amounts were communicated in letters that hundreds of clergy abuse survivors participating in the New Orleans archdiocese’s bankruptcy began quietly receiving on Tuesday. The figures are well below a $2.4m jury verdict awarded to an unrelated Louisiana religious sexual abuse claimant in June 2025 after the state’s legislature temporarily eliminated filing deadlines for such cases. Continue reading...

Compact discs are back, with searches for players up 96% at John Lewis and popular models sold out onlineWith more than 800 million people subscribing to a music streaming service, wireless speakers have become a familiar sight in homes. But expect to get reacquainted with a different object to play music soon: the CD player, once consigned to obsolescence, is back.John Lewis report that searches for CD players are up 96% since July, possibly owing to students heading to university and buying the systems for their rooms. The £79 Crosley Voyager, and the £129 Pure Classic C-D6 are both sold out online, with the Voyager scheduled to return in October. Portable CD players are also popular. Continue reading...

• India attracted ₹4,896 crore in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) across 29 projects following the implementation of Press Note 3 easing. • The Ministry of Commerce and Industry reported that investments spanned critical sectors, including Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing, Data Centres, and Transport Services. • Funding originated from several global jurisdictions, most notably the United States, Singapore, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Luxembourg, and the Cayman Islands.

Forecasters warned the Chinese capital could receive more than one-third of its average annual rainfall over 24 hoursThousands of people have been evacuated from areas at risk of flooding and landslides in Beijing, as the remnants of Typhoon Dolphin continue to bring torrential rain to northern and central China.Forecasters warned on Tuesday that the Chinese capital could receive more than 150mm of rain over the following 24 hours, with some districts forecast to exceed 200mm – more than one-third of Beijing’s average annual rainfall of 528mm. Continue reading...

• The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games concluded with a fireworks-filled closing ceremony following the final day of competition. • The Isle of Man achieved a historic milestone by winning its first gold medal in 20 years, marking the final gold of the Games. • Scotland's Mel Woods was named athlete of the Games after winning the Women’s 400m T54 and the Women’s 1500m T54, the latter in a Commonwealth Games record of 3min 32.20sec.

• Gen Z slang terms such as "delulu" and "FOMO" have transitioned from social media platforms like Instagram into the discourse of the Indian parliament. • This linguistic shift is part of a broader trend where politicians adopt popular culture language to better connect with and understand their younger electorate. • The phenomenon highlights the evolving nature of political communication as leaders attempt to bridge the generational gap through modern terminology.

Transport for London claims polluting diesel vehicles had been able to enter clean air zone without having to payTransport for London is pursuing a potential £1bn legal action against car manufacturers over vehicles that it argues should not have been allowed to drive freely in the capital’s clean-air zone.The high court heard that TfL was making allegations of “fraud and negligence” against manufacturers including Stellantis, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Nissan over their vehicles’ levels of diesel emissions. Continue reading...

From Afghanistan to Taiwan, unprecedented deluge highlights devastating impact of climate breakdown“It rained for 10 days and 10 nights, non-stop – I’d never seen anything like it,” says Anar Gul, a construction worker who lives in the remote district of Dur Baba in eastern Afghanistan.The houses in his village are built from stone and mud, which makes them extremely vulnerable to heavy rains. After days of rain, Gul’s kitchen collapsed and his neighbour, Sayed Afsar Sadat, saw a large part of his house completely destroyed. “Rains like this are coming heavier and earlier each year,” says Sadat. “They are destroying the roads and washing away our crops. It’s impacting us directly.” Continue reading...

Appointment of three ministerial aides is first time members of Labour’s most leftwing faction have held government positionsAndy Burnham has appointed three new ministerial aides from Labour’s most leftwing faction, the first time members of the Socialist Campaign Group have been part of the government.The new chief whip, Anneliese Midgley, has also promised MPs that the government will beef up the role of ministerial aides – known as parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) – who traditionally go under the radar, allowing them to do more media appearances, take on parliamentary roles and contribute more directly to policy direction. Continue reading...

Kyiv’s attacks on Wildberries, country’s answer to Amazon, destroy goods made, sold, and bought by everyday RussiansStanding in front of a vast warehouse engulfed in flames outside Moscow, Tatyana Mikhailova watched as her entire stock of 4,000 fur coats, bought months in advance for the winter season, burned.“It’s not just a warehouse that’s burning,” Mikhailova said in a video she shared on Instagram. “It’s the time you’ve invested, the immense stress you’ve endured, your money, and your last bit of hope. All I feel is emptiness.” Continue reading...

Mykhailo Drapati new head of the armed forces as Mykhailo Fedorov returns to government after mass protestsVolodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Ukraine’s commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a “prominent position” to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests.In a late-night TV address, Zelenskyy said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapati, a popular and innovative general, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Drapati would oversee a reorganisation of the army’s command structure, Ukraine’s president said. Continue reading...

• CrowdStrike has announced the acquisition of XM Cyber's intellectual property to enhance its security capabilities. • The company is expanding its reach by bringing the Falcon platform to STACKIT, a sovereign cloud provided by Schwarz Digits. • This strategic move aims to provide European enterprises with high-level security solutions tailored for sovereign cloud environments.

• Rakuten TV has partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment to launch 20 new Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) channels across Europe. • The new offering consists of a variety of thematic fiction channels and brands centered around single intellectual properties. • The service is now available to viewers in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Nordic regions.

• The United Nations released a report detailing the dual nature of artificial intelligence, highlighting both its immense potential for social benefit and its significant inherent risks. • The report identifies key sectors poised for revolution, including healthcare, agriculture, science, accessibility, and information technology. • This analysis matters because AI is expected to disrupt nearly every global industry, impacting the economy, culture, and the nature of knowledge work.

Case due to be heard in supreme court this morning. Follow the day’s latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to wrap up the week after a busy stretch in parliament. Here’s what’s on deck:Liberal MP Moira Deeming has lodged legal action against the party’s Victorian president, Brian Loughnane, which is set to be heard in the state’s supreme court this morning. Deeming had filed a police complaint against a colleague, Matthew Guy, alleging he put her in a headlock. Victoria Police investigated the incident and found “there was no offence detected”, dismissing it last week. Guy has demanded a public apology from Deeming – who said earlier this week she misunderstood the “technical meaning of the term ‘headlock’”, but would not apologise. Continue reading...

Labour MPs value Burnham’s warmth as a communicator but they know that will not be enough on its ownWhen Keir Starmer welcomed Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, outside No 10 on Monday, the attire fitted the moment: dark formal suits, polished leather shoes. Almost 200 miles to the north, when Andy Burnham strode into the engine hall of the People’s History Museum in Manchester, the vibe could not have been more different.Dressed in his trademark dark T-shirt and jacket, Burnham could just as easily have been walking down the street outside. He even began with a joke about his thigh-skimming running shorts, after he was pictured going for a jog the morning after announcing his return to parliament, telling the assembled audience he had bought a new pair as it was “either do that or change the decency laws”. Continue reading...

• Warner Bros. Discovery is expanding its AI-powered advertising format, known as "Moments," to streaming platforms in Europe and Latin America. • The rollout will target key international markets including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the Nordics, Brazil, and Mexico. • This expansion allows the company to leverage artificial intelligence to optimize ad placements and targeting for a broader global audience.

Oxfam predicts PNG will be worst-hit country in Pacific from the weather pattern, with up to 3 million people affected nationwideFamilies across Papua New Guinea’s Highlands are facing depleted harvests and the threat of hunger after the El Niño weather pattern brought frost and prolonged dry conditions that have destroyed food gardens providing sustenance and income for thousands of households.The effects of El Niño emerged in recent weeks, bringing drought conditions, falling water levels and frost that are threatening food security in some of the country’s most agriculturally productive regions. Continue reading...

Pharrell Williams’s menswear collection had a surf theme, while Saint Laurent models wore skinny suitsIn temperatures close to 40C, most of Paris would have loved to go to the beach this week. Guests at the Louis Vuitton show got the look at least – the ground was covered with sand and there was a huge artificial wave as a backdrop.The menswear collection, designed by Pharrell Williams, had a surf theme. There were branded wetsuits, Ugg-style boots and the chunky knits surfers wear at the end of a day. There were some jumpers and slouchy suiting, but the active lifestyle idea took centre stage with board shorts, caps, skate-style sneakers and a gilet. Some models carried surfboards branded with the Louis Vuitton logo and the final look was a model in a monogram wetsuit carrying a bike on his shoulder. Continue reading...

An additional case is suspected in Western Australia, which would bring the total number of bird flu infections to fourFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDeadly H5 bird flu has been confirmed in two Australian states after a migratory seabird tested positive for the disease in South Australia.Western Australia also has another suspected positive case, in a southern giant petrel, found in the Quindalup region in the state’s south west. Continue reading...

• 7K Studios, the first local film production studio in Taos, held its soft opening celebration on Friday, June 12, in Ranchos de Taos. • The studio provides aspiring filmmakers with essential production space and professional tools to create their projects locally. • This initiative aims to integrate Taos into New Mexico’s rapidly growing film industry by lowering barriers to entry for creators.

Labour mayor giving advisory roles to ex-Bank of England economist and others seen as attempt to reassure marketsMakerfield byelection – latest updatesThree economic heavyweights have been brought in to advise Andy Burnham as he attempts to reassure the markets before his possible return to parliament on Friday and challenge to Keir Starmer.Burnham is understood to be getting advice from Andy Haldane, a former Bank of England chief economist, as well as Richard Hughes, a former chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility and Jim O’Neill, a crossbench peer and former Treasury minister who worked on George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse. Continue reading...

India declares onset as up to 280mm of rain falls in 72 hours in Kerala, while downpours hit south-west ThailandThe monsoon season has officially begun in parts of Asia, marking the start of a period of enhanced rainfall vital to the region’s economy.The south-west monsoon begins each year as a consequence of a growing temperature difference between the Asian land mass and the Indian Ocean. Through spring, the land heats up more rapidly than the surrounding sea, creating a pressure difference that draws moisture-laden ocean air inland. Once this contrast reaches a critical point, the humid air pushed over the continent rises, condenses into cloud and unleashes intense rainfall across the region. Continue reading...

British Retail Consortium figures show footfall rose in May, with consumer confidence improving after spending squeezeGreater numbers of consumers went shopping last month as spring sunshine brought welcome relief to retailers, which have faced a squeeze on spending since the US-Israel war on Iran.Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and a separate survey by the accountancy firm BDO showed a bounce-back in footfall during May, reversing a sharp decline in April. Continue reading...

• An exceptionally early spring heatwave has scorched parts of Western Europe, leading to record-breaking temperatures across Britain and France in May. • London experienced a rare “tropical night” on Monday, while firefighters in Edinburgh were deployed to battle grass fires triggered by the extreme heat. • The event is significant as it has already resulted in deaths and prompted government warnings regarding severe risks to public health and life.

• British pop star Olivia Dean performed a "magic" closing set to conclude the star-studded Big Weekend festival, sharing the lineup with artists like Fatboy Slim and Zara Larsson. • The performance follows a successful year for Dean, who recently won four Brit Awards, including best British artist and best album. • Her award-winning second record, *The Art of Loving*, has solidified her reputation as one of the most exciting emerging musical talents in the UK.

• Bangkok, Thailand, will host the inaugural Grand Final of Eurovision Asia on Saturday, November 14, 2026. • The event marks the first-ever edition of the world's longest-running music contest in Asia, featuring 10 confirmed participating nations, including South Korea, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Vietnam. • This expansion represents a significant milestone in bringing the global Eurovision brand to the Asian market, fostering international musical collaboration.

Burnham and Streeting’s latest stances confound caricatures of left and right as party faces electoral bindThe Labour party has seemed to inhabit three parallel worlds over the past fortnight.There is a prime minister celebrating good news on the economy and lower migration figures and breezily insisting he will fight the next election, but with his party intent on deposing him. Continue reading...