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• Lauryn Hill was honored with the Living Legend Icon Award at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday, June 28. • The ceremony featured a star-studded tribute to Hill, who expressed her gratitude to her fans by stating, "I do this because I love y'all." • During her acceptance speech, Hill emphasized the importance of individuality and uniqueness, highlighting her roles as both an artist and a mother.

• US stocks declined on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq Composite dropping 1.0% to 25,092.01, the S&P 500 sliding 0.63% to 7,311.26, and the Dow Jones falling 0.44% to 51,690.51. • The downturn was triggered by reports of a delayed IPO for OpenAI, which created significant jitters across the tech-heavy market. • Market instability was further compounded by a valuation drop for Elon Musk's SpaceX, signaling a more challenging environment for major public offerings on Wall Street.

• China's Einstein Probe has detected a mysterious cosmic explosion characterized by two unusual double flares. • The event is considered unique because the signal matches no known types of space eruptions currently documented by scientists. • This discovery highlights the probe's capability to identify rare astronomical phenomena that traditional telescopes might miss.

New member for Makerfield and expected next prime minister joins other MPs who donate some or all of their payAndy Burnham has said he will be donating 15% of his MP’s salary to local causes in his constituency of Makerfield.An MP’s salary currently stands at £98,599 and a number of MPs currently donate all of their salary or a part of it to charities and causes in the areas they represent. Continue reading...

Airport has also been ‘engaging closely’ with regulator to discuss cost of plan to build third runwayBusiness live – latest updatesHeathrow has said that passenger numbers and profits will fall this year because of the conflict in the Middle East.Europe’s busiest airport said it expects a 1.1% decline in the total number of passengers to 83.6 million, as the impact of the Iran war affects global air travel. Continue reading...

• Bill Gates stated that while AI is expected to replace many jobs, athletes are among the few professionals safe from this revolution. • Gates identified athletes, biologists, energy workers, and coders as four specific careers unlikely to be fully replaced by artificial intelligence. • The reasoning for athletes' security is based on human psychology, as Gates argues that audiences have no interest in watching computers compete in sports.

• NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft has discovered a highly unusual planetary system featuring an "improbable" and "wonky" orbital configuration. • The system's instability is driven by a massive, eccentric object within the system that disrupts the typical planetary alignment. • This discovery is significant because it provides crucial insights into how planets can form and survive around massive objects with extreme orbits.

Company urges customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire to use water only for essential purposes as temperatures soarEurope heatwave live – latest updatesA hosepipe ban has been put in place by South East Water in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, after a surge in demand amid the ongoing heatwave.The company said it treated and supplied 644m litres of water on Sunday 21 June, 56m litres more than the average daily demand for June of 588m litres. Continue reading...

State government and consortium strike deal to complete M6’s twin tunnels with minister insisting there is ‘no extra cost to NSW taxpayers’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTunnelling on Sydney’s $3.1bn M6 project, dubbed the potentially “unbuildable motorway”, will resume after the state government struck a deal with contractors, ending a two-year stalemate during which works were halted.Under the terms of the new agreement, the private consortium will absorb the costs of finishing the tunnels, limiting the financial hit to taxpayers. Continue reading...

Education secretary cites admissions data for England since tax imposed showing falling applications to state sectorAdding VAT to private school fees has failed to trigger an exodus of pupils into the state sector despite widespread speculation that it would, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has said.The Labour government applied 20% VAT to private school fees from the start of 2025. They had previously been exempt from the tax. Newly published admissions data for England showed there had been no influx towards state schools since then. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Economists find Brexit caused 12% depression in UK exports, most of which is due to leaving single marketBrexit has depressed UK exports to the EU by 12%, and rejoining the customs union would undo only a fraction of the damage, research shared with the Guardian shows.With the UK’s future relationship with the bloc likely to feature prominently in a potential Labour leadership contest, the economists John Springford and Anton Spisak, of the Centre for European Reform, provide fresh evidence of the damage caused by exiting. Continue reading...

Geochronologists say Antrim coastline’s basalt columns developed over 5.5m years – 8m less than thoughtFor centuries, the tale has been passed from generation to generation: how the Irish giant Finn McCool built the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland to fight Benandonner, his Scottish rival, by hurling chunks of the Antrim coastline into the sea.Now, scientists have revealed it was intense volcanic activity during a “major globally impacting volcanic event” – and not a legendary battle between two destructive giants – that led to the formation of the coastline’s 40,000 distinctive interlocking basalt columns about 60m years ago. Continue reading...

• In May 2026, outbreaks of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) were reported in Uganda and the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. • A transmission model was used to project the growth of the outbreak over a three-month period, highlighting the risk of rapid escalation. • The situation is critical because there are currently no approved vaccines or medications available to treat the *Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense* species.

• The UK, Australia, and Canada have launched a major new international fund designed to scale civil society initiatives and address the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. • The fund will invest in grassroots projects aimed at rebuilding trust and reducing community divisions, integrating civil society efforts directly into broader diplomatic strategies. • UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized that Middle East peace is too often viewed solely as a matter of international diplomacy, necessitating this shift toward community-led stability.

Interim vice-chancellor tells senate estimates of ‘very significant’ effect on donor pipeline and enrolmentsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA series of high profile scandals and governance failures has cost the Australian National University $100m in reputational damage, the interim vice-chancellor, Rebekah Brown, has told a parliamentary committee.Fronting senate estimates on Friday – a day after a scathing audit report found the ANU approved a controversial $250m cost-cutting program without clear evidence – Brown acknowledged it had been a challenging time for the university. Continue reading...

Veteran broadcaster makes ‘one of hardest decisions of my entire life’ weeks after revealing spread of cancer to spineThe veteran broadcaster Bob Harris has announced he is stepping down from BBC Radio 2 after 30 years so he can focus on “getting well again”, six weeks after revealing his prostate cancer had spread into his upper spine.The 80-year-old host of The Country Show and Sounds of the 70s, known as “Whispering” Bob Harris, said his health problems were forcing him to step down and that it had been “one of the hardest decisions of my entire life”. Continue reading...

At least six new pubs and taphouses have opened in recent months, including the Pig & Swill in Cardiff On a hot Thursday evening in Canton, a buzzy Cardiff neighbourhood, a steady stream of people in sunglasses, shorts and dresses went back and forth between bar and garden at the city’s newest pub, the Pig & Swill.Next door, in Victoria Park, the splash pad was still heaving with families making the most of the tail-end of the May heatwave. Many parents and carers stopped by for takeaway pints and small plates. Continue reading...

• Indian shuttler PV Sindhu secured a major upset victory on the first day of the Singapore Badminton Open 2026 by defeating the world number 6 player. • The opening round provided mixed results for the Indian contingent, as Ayush Shetty was eliminated early from the competition. • This victory marks a significant momentum shift for Sindhu as she competes against the world's top-ranked players in the tournament.

Medical investigations ongoing ‘to finalise the cause of death’ but police say they do not suspect foul playThe cause of the deaths of three sisters found in the sea off Brighton beach is yet to be ascertained but police say they do not suspect foul play at this stage.The bodies of Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, from Uxbridge, west London, were found earlier this month. Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court, in a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, upheld the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise for voter rolls. • The court ruled that the SIR is constitutional and cannot be termed "ultra vires" or illegal simply because it employs a process distinct from routine statutory voter revisions. • This decision validates the ECI's authority to implement a more rigorous rehaul of electoral rolls to ensure accuracy and legitimacy in the voting process.

• The BBC's upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special is reportedly "hanging in the balance" and may not air as scheduled. • The production crisis follows the sudden exit of lead actor Ncuti Gatwa, leaving the network without a primary star for the festive episode. • This development is significant as the Christmas special is a cornerstone of the series' annual tradition and a major viewership driver for the BBC.

• Indian companies increased their outbound acquisitions in 2025, completing 162 deals worth over $18 billion, representing a 34% year-on-year rise. • The BBC reported on this trend with a headline suggesting these purchases are driven by slowing economic growth within India rather than financial strength. • OpIndia criticizes the BBC's framing, arguing that the broadcaster is pushing a narrative of "domestic failure" to overshadow the success of Indian balance sheets.

Israel widely criticised after security minister’s video shows humiliating treatment of people on flotilla headed for Gaza The UK has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires as international outrage escalates over a video posted by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted.The global outcry continued as Israel began releasing hundreds of the activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and are in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organisation working with the flotilla. Continue reading...

UK government calls incident ‘unacceptable’ after Su-27 jet comes within six metres of unarmed spy plane over Black SeaA Russian jet flew within six metres of an RAF spy plane flying at 500mph over the Black Sea, one of two mid-air incidents last month described as “dangerous and unacceptable” by the defence secretary John Healey.An Su-27 jet conducted six passes in front of an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint flying close to its nose, potentially risking a collision that could have triggered a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Continue reading...

Tracker of attitudes towards artificial intelligence also finds almost half of the public would prefer to avoid itOne in three university students think AI will wipe out jobs so rapidly it will trigger civil unrest, according to a survey by King’s College London (KCL).Students are among the heaviest users of AI, the poll found, with 77% using it at least a few times a month – compared with 46% of workers – and 27% using it daily or almost daily. Continue reading...

French police fire teargas and UK shops close for safety reasons as hundreds queue for Royal Pop timepieceThe launch of limited-edition Swatch watches descended into chaos in several European cities and New York, with French police firing teargas to restore order at a store near Paris.Hundreds of people waited through the night from Friday into Saturday – and in some cases for several days – hoping to buy the Royal Pop timepieces, made in collaboration with the luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Young inmate took own life in Long Bay prison five months after independent inspector warned of ‘ligature points in cells across all areas’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 19-year-old man has died in a Sydney prison unit that an independent watchdog previously recommended be closed because it “simply cannot provide a safe environment”.The man was on remand, awaiting a hearing or sentencing, when he hung himself on Sunday in Long Bay correctional centre’s Metropolitan Special Programs Centre (MSPC). Continue reading...

The 32.3m surpasses those caused by disasters for the first time, as 82.2m people displaced in total around worldThe number of internal displacements triggered by conflict or violence around the world reached a record high in 2025, surpassing the number of disaster-driven internal displacements for the first time.A report published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) shows that by the end of 2025 there were 32.3m conflict-driven internal displacements. That is 60% higher than those recorded the previous year, and – for the first time since data collection began in 2008 – above displacements driven by natural disasters, which reached 29.9m in 2025. Continue reading...