Choice

Trump claims strikes called off as deal is close, but Tehran denies agreement near, while legal experts question if US targets may be a war crime. Plus 20 years of Taylor Swift’s incredible influence on pop cultureGood morning. Yesterday, Donald Trump spent the day promising he was going to hit Iran harder than ever before, then announced – again – that the US and Iran were close to signing a deal. Iran’s foreign ministry dismissed the claim, and Tasnim, the semi-official Iranian news agency, wrote that “until a potential understanding is announced by Iran, any news from Trump on this matter should be dismissed”.The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said large parts of the text under negotiation had been finalised but Iran would not compromise on its red lines. Two days of escalating attacks between the warring nations had threatened to collapse the fragile ceasefire.What is the issue around the US choice of targets in Iran? Military strikes on 10 June that damaged two water storage facilities in southern Iran may constitute a war crime, legal and military experts say. The attack on the Bemani district destroyed a key reservoir serving about 20,000 people, raising critical legal questions over whether the strike hit a valid military objective or unlawfully targeted a civilian object.Why is there a legal challenge to the method? The method has raised concerns for its apparent brutality. Eugene Smith, the first person to die by nitrogen hypoxia, thrashed and writhed on the gurney, according to witnesses. The last nitrogen execution, of Anthony Boyd, appeared to take more than 30 minutes as Boyd shuddered and gasped. Continue reading...

• Coach Hong Myung-bo has selected a 3-4-3 formation for South Korea's opening Group A match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup against the Czech Republic. • The tactical lineup features Son Heung-min as the lead striker, supported by Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in on the wings. • The midfield will be anchored by Baek Seung-ho and Hwang In-beom, with Lee Tae-seok and Seol Young-woo serving as left and right wingbacks.

• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated during an appearance on MS NOW's "The Weekend" that the U.S. government has "exacerbated racism" through its political choices. • Mamdani argued that simple acknowledgment of systemic racism is insufficient to solve the problem. • He called for the implementation of "affirmative policy" to actively address and dismantle racial disparities across the country.

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of 1990s leader Alberto, is vying with a congressman to become country’s ninth president in a decadePeruvians go to the polls on Sunday in an election runoff that pits a perennial rightwing candidate, Keiko Fujimori, against a leftist congressman, Roberto Sánchez. Amid rising crime, chronic political instability, corruption scandals and voter apathy, they are vying to become Peru’s ninth president in a decade.Fujimori, who is the daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori, won 17% of the vote in the first round in April. Sánchez, a former trade and tourism minister, took 12 % of the vote, edging out Rafael López Aliaga, an ultra-conservative former Lima mayor. The stage is set for a polarised left-right replay of the country’s last election in 2021. Continue reading...

Former first lady speaks about Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race at event for her new memoirJill Biden recalled the immense pressure that Joe Biden faced in the aftermath of his disastrous 2024 debate performance, saying he told her “Jilly, I had no choice,” following his decision to drop out of the presidential race.The former first lady made the comments during a Tuesday book event coinciding with the release of her new memoir, View from the East Wing. The event was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, and moderated by comedian and co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg. Former president Biden was in attendance at the event and received two standing ovations from the crowd. Continue reading...

Consumer group makes ‘super’ complaint to ACCC after investigation found dangerous items on platforms such as eBay, Amazon and AliExpressGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCigarette lighters that look like toys, gel blasters, flick knives and fake tongue studs are among the “frightening” number of unsafe and potentially banned products being sold to Australians on online marketplaces, a Choice investigation has found.After identifying the products, Choice on Wednesday formally asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to take action against the retailers and begin a review of the country’s product safety laws more generally. Continue reading...

PM says predecessor misunderstands government’s successes and ‘very different’ situation compared with 1997Keir Starmer has dismissed Tony’s Blair’s argument that his government is on the wrong track, saying he is implementing the policies needed for today, not the very different situation faced by Blair in 1997.“You won’t be surprised to know that I don’t agree with much that Tony says about what the government is doing,” Starmer said during a visit to an apprentice training centre in west London. Continue reading...

Regulators and gambling harm advocates have been closely watching the rise in popularity of Polymarket and KalshiGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastUS-based “prediction market” websites are taking tens of thousands of dollars in bets on Australian elections and even specific words the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says in parliament, with gambling harm advocates and the wagering lobby raising alarm.Australian financial and media regulators said they were monitoring the explosion in popularity of platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, which operate financial exchanges where users buy “shares” in contracts on the outcome of events. Continue reading...

• Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has come out of international retirement to join Germany's squad for the 2026 World Cup. • Manager Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that the 40-year-old Bayern Munich star will serve as the team's first-choice goalkeeper for the tournament. • Neuer brings extensive experience to the squad, having earned 124 caps and recently helping Bayern Munich secure the Bundesliga title.

Populist former president’s falling-out with the Tehran regime allegedly drew him into a takeover plotUS and Israel hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leaderFor all their outward differences, there always seemed to be things that linked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Donald Trump.A visit to the then Iranian president’s rather humble Tehran neighbourhood nearly 20 years ago highlighted cost of living problems that prefigured those facing Trump now. Continue reading...

Matt Brittin begins task of finding budget cuts as World Service and Radio 4 journalists protest against plan to increase workloadsMatt Brittin, the BBC’s new director general, has warned staff that “tough choices are unavoidable” under his tenure, as his first day coincided with a strike by a group of the corporation’s journalists.Brittin, formerly Google’s most senior executive in Europe, arrived at the corporation’s New Broadcasting House while a group of journalists from the World Service’s flagship show Newshour and Radio 4’s The World Tonight were picketing in response to a plan to increase their workloads. Continue reading...

Though Trump’s popularity has dwindled, staying loyal to him seems to still be a winning strategy among the GOPBy just about every measure, Donald Trump’s sway with US voters has slipped since he won re-election two years ago, but there’s one place where his power remains unmatched: within the Republican party.The latest evidence of his ability to control who’s in and who’s out in the GOP came on Tuesday, when primary voters in Indiana ousted five of seven state senators who had last year defied the president’s demand to redraw the state’s congressional maps and gerrymander the state’s last two Democratic representatives out of their seats. Continue reading...

Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challengeThe next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said.Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge. Continue reading...

Critics hit out at ‘dire’ situation in the country which has the strictest laws around abortion in western EuropeRights campaigners have affixed lockboxes containing abortion pills to sites across Malta, in a campaign designed to highlight the country’s near-total ban on abortion.The 15 black boxes aim to provide practical help to women grappling with the EU’s strictest abortion laws; anyone who is less than nine weeks pregnant and in need of an abortion is invited to send an email to obtain the location and codes to access the pills. Continue reading...

Former Wall Street banker faces questions at confirmation hearing – but his biggest backer is also his biggest liabilityOn the face of it, Kevin Warsh looks like an ideal candidate to chair the Federal Reserve, the world’s most important central bank. The 56-year-old Ivy League economist, former Wall Street banker and presidential adviser ticks all the boxes. Unfortunately for Warsh, as he faces what could be a fraught nomination hearing, his biggest backer is also his biggest liability.In his second term, Donald Trump has attacked the Fed in a manner both unprecedented and unseemly. He has called current chair Jerome Powell – whom he also appointed – a “jerk”, “a stubborn MORON”, and repeatedly threatened to fire him. Continue reading...