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Previously hidden text revealed without unrolling scroll discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviourThe surviving part of an ancient scroll that was burnt to a crisp when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago has been virtually unwrapped and read with help from artificial intelligence.Researchers uncovered 20 columns of previously hidden text covering more than a metre of charred papyrus without physically unrolling the scroll. The work discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour and dates to the second or late-third century BC. Continue reading...

Local sheriff’s office appealed for citizens to keep their eye out for Gracie’s ‘rounded ears’ – to distinguish from any other missing giraffesFor almost two weeks, residents of a rural Texas county have been looking, mostly up, for a missing giraffe called Gracie that wandered off from a private game ranch.On Wednesday, it appeared the free-roaming mammal’s odyssey was over, after it was reportedly found safe a “little farther out than expected” from its hill country home. Continue reading...

• A new data investigation claims The New York Times contributed to the political controversy surrounding transgender rights by framing the issue as a debate rather than a lived reality. • The analysis suggests that the publication's editorial approach shifted the narrative, potentially fueling polarization over trans identities and rights. • In response, a representative stated that the volume of coverage is simply a reflection of real-world developments, including medical studies and proposed legislation.

Suit ⁠alleged California-based company developed technology that allowed China to surveil members of movement⁠The US supreme court further limited the reach of a federal law used to hold corporations liable for human rights abuses committed abroad, as it issued a ruling on Tuesday ending a lawsuit by ⁠members of the Falun Gong ⁠movement accusing Cisco Systems ​of facilitating religious persecution in China.The justices reversed a lower court’s decision that had breathed new life into the 2011 lawsuit, which was brought under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789. The suit ⁠had alleged that Cisco knowingly developed technology that allowed China’s government to surveil and persecute Falun Gong members. Continue reading...

• Actor and director Jason Bateman shared a "painful but helpful" piece of professional advice he received from a movie legend early in his career. • While Bateman did not name the specific mentor in the snippet, he noted that the critique was difficult to hear initially but ultimately beneficial to his growth. • The revelation highlights the importance of constructive criticism and mentorship for high-profile stars of series like "Ozark" and "Arrested Development."

• Japan secured their first victory of the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 4-0 win over Tunisia in Monterrey, featuring two goals from Ayase Ueda. • The defeat officially eliminates Tunisia from the tournament, while Japan gains critical momentum in their group stage campaign. • In upcoming fixtures, Spain will face 2034 hosts Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, though star player Lamine Yamal remains doubtful for a full game due to a hamstring injury.

Maps created as part of Defra-funded Slimers project allowed test growers to halve amount of slug pellets usedFarmers believe they have a new weapon in their age-old battle against the slugs that destroy their crops: modern technology.Slug prediction maps, which have been created by computer models as part of an research project, are now helping growers to better target the use of pesticides, saving them money and reducing environmental harm. Continue reading...

• UCLA researchers have developed an experimental drug called AD-NP1, designed to block the protein ENPP1 to prevent heart failure and promote heart tissue healing after a heart attack. • New lab experiments indicate the drug may also be effective for kidney repair, as biopsies from patients with chronic kidney disease show elevated levels of the same ENPP1 protein. • This discovery is significant because it suggests a potential first-in-class treatment for multiple organ systems, expanding the drug's therapeutic potential beyond cardiology.

• Living Security has launched its 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Month program, providing organizations with a turnkey solution for October security campaigns. • The program offers expert-led learning, interactive experiences, and ready-to-use resources to help companies avoid months of manual content development. • This initiative is specifically designed for highly regulated sectors, such as healthcare and financial services, to reinforce positive security behaviors and navigate trust in an AI-driven environment.

National Audit Office says agency proposes closing operations in 11 countries as part of turnaround planThe British Council faces cutting its workforce further and closing operations in 11 countries as it struggles to repay a crippling £197m Covid-era government loan that threatens its survival, the public spending watchdog has said.The UK’s soft-power agency remains loss-making six years on from the pandemic and is not expected to make a profit until 2029-30, a report from the National Audit Office says. Continue reading...

ARN Media settlement of dispute with sacked radio host includes $12.09m cash payment and $1.5m worth of advertisingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKyle Sandilands has settled his dispute with ARN Media for a $12m cash payout and a promise it will help him launch a new media venture.The money is a fraction of the $85m the former radio host had been seeking after his abrupt sacking from the network in February, but avoids what threatened to be a costly and potentially damaging trial in the federal court. Continue reading...

Supreme court finds Eduardo Bolsonaro tried to get sanctions put on judges trying ex-president over coup plotA panel of ⁠Brazil’s supreme court has voted ⁠to convict Eduardo Bolsonaro of courting US ⁠interference in the coup plot trial of his father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro.The panel’s four justices each backed the conviction on Tuesday and were expected to discuss the sentence later in the day. Continue reading...

Breakthrough treatment enabled Archie Goodburn, 24, to keep competing but he says one new drug in 20 years is not enoughArchie Goodburn, a 24-year-old champion swimmer who has a rare, inoperable form of brain cancer, is calling for the government to do more to help people with the condition.“I grew up representing my country, and I want to see my country supporting me back,” he said. Continue reading...

Tech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open ‘genomic goldmine’ of fungi dataThe rise of AI and digitisation could be a turning point in the “race against extinction” faced by botanists trying to identify and save vital plants before they vanish, according to a major report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.New technology is enabling scientists to track how flowering times have shifted by weeks around the world, rapidly identify new specimens and even get crucial genetic data from 180-year-old fungus specimens, potentially opening a “genomic goldmine”. Digitisation and online access to millions of specimens that were until now only accessible in archives is also producing new insights, especially in the global south. Continue reading...

Prime minister flags an announcement following deliberations of cabinet’s expenditure review committeeAnthony Albanese has signalled the federal government is open to extending the temporary cut to the fuel excise to help cushion motorists from a months-long tail to the Middle East conflict.The prime minister also welcomed the announcement of a peace deal between the US and Iran to end the war and reopen the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Trump also says in ‘friendly and frank’ phone call that US is nearing peace deal with Iran, according to Putin adviserDonald Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine was critical and that he was prepared to help, reported Russia’s TASS news agency.During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian president that the US is nearing a peace deal with Iran as the US-Israel war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Putin adviser. The call between Trump and Putin, which lasted about an hour, was described as “friendly and frank” by Ushakov. Continue reading...

• Help Net Security highlighted a selection of the most interesting information security products released during the week ending June 12, 2026. • The featured product updates come from six different companies: AISLE, Drata, Elastic, Filigran, IDnow, and Ridge Security. • This weekly roundup serves as a resource for cybersecurity professionals to track emerging tools and technological advancements in the infosec industry.

While venues could stay open until 2am, rising costs remain a far bigger concern for many landlords Picture the scene: it’s 1am on a sultry July night and Jude Bellingham has just scored the decisive penalty to send England into the World Cup semi-final. Cue wild celebrations among millions of pub goers, fuelled by the realisation that there is still an hour until closing time.Keir Starmer may have imagined a national morale-boosting spectacle such as this when his government told hospitality venues that they could stay open until 2am on some World Cup match days. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: With Keir Starmer expected to announce Australia-style restrictions, further problems – including AI chatbots - are on the horizonGood morning. Keir Starmer’s expected speech next week about young people’s access to social media will be analysed as much for how it benefits the outcome of a certain byelection, as its safeguarding of children’s synapses.After issuing an ultimatum to tech firms yesterday to block children’s phones from sharing nude images, the government is expected to make another major announcement about social media within days. Briefings suggest it will stop short of a blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media. But it will still amount to radical regulation, with Downing Street insisting that Starmer is up for a fight with big tech.UK politics | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that he plans to invite King Charles on a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year, which would make him the most senior royal to travel to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion.Middle East | Fears of a return to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East eased on Monday as Israel and Iran said they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from Donald Trump to “immediately stop shooting”.UK news | A report has found “widespread and concerning evidence” of bias and victim-blaming in the family courts – primarily disadvantaging women.US news | Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night at the NBA finals.Unemployment | A government-funded pilot of “hyperlocal” job support in 10 neighbourhoods across England has shown “promising early signs of effectiveness”, including for young people, and could be scalable nationwide, a new evaluation has shown. Continue reading...

Echo project will help erase images as part of package of support to end ‘prolonged suffering of survivors’Victims of child sexual abuse in England and Wales will be given help to remove online images of their abuse as part of a wider package of support to end the “prolonged suffering of survivors”.The Echo project will help those who have reported their abuse to the police to identify and remove images of abuse online. They will also be given trauma support, the possibility of having a victim impact statement read in court against their perpetrators and the opportunity of criminal or civil compensation. Continue reading...

• Astronomer Julia Seidel and her team discovered evidence of magnetic fields on Jupiter-like exoplanets by measuring their atmospheric wind speeds. • The study reveals that some of these distant worlds possess magnetic fields comparable in strength to those found within our own Solar System. • This discovery is significant because magnetic fields can protect a planet's atmosphere from being stripped away by stellar radiation, potentially influencing habitability.

Light from nearly 4m galaxies measured as it twisted and travelled through intergalactic spaceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA cosmic map of magnetic fields – the largest ever produced – could help scientists delve into one of the major and most mysterious forces in the universe.A global team led by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO charted the magnetic fields by measuring light from nearly 4m galaxies as it twisted and travelled through intergalactic space. Continue reading...

Scheme aims to help 18-year-olds in England who lack support after leaving system to find trusted people with whom they have lost touchGrowing up and leaving the care system is daunting enough, but for 22-year-old Hannah, from Hertfordshire, the biggest anxiety was the sudden reality of no longer having a crowd in her corner.Turning 18 as a care leaver in England has been described as a “cliff edge” at which young people lose access to their social worker and support staff who provide day-to-day advocacy and help in a crisis – a reassuring and constant adult presence. Continue reading...

Chancellor hails deal saying it will create tens of thousands of jobs in the construction, hospitality, creative and technology sectorsBusiness live – latest updateBritish taxpayers will provide £1.3bn in funding to help Hollywood studio giant Universal build its first theme park in Europe.Comcast, the US media company that owns NBC Universal and Sky, had been considering a number of countries in which to build its first European theme park. Continue reading...

New issue of the American Journal of Public Health focuses on parallels between marketing for cigarettes and UPFsThe new issue of the American Journal of Public Health focuses on ultra-processed foods, and reveals that big tobacco companies used strategies that helped them sell cigarettes to sell ultra-processed food products, including Lunchables, geared toward children.The parallels between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cigarettes include not only how UPF products were formulated and marketed to drive excess consumption, but also the growing body of evidence linking UPFs to a variety of health risks. For UPFs, these include cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and cognitive health decline. Continue reading...

• The FDA has approved XOCOVA (ensitrelvir), developed by Shionogi Inc., as a new treatment option for COVID-19. • XOCOVA is distinguished as the first and only oral medication specifically approved to help prevent the onset of COVID-19 following exposure to the virus. • This approval expands the available pharmaceutical toolkit for infectious disease management, offering a preventative oral alternative to existing treatments.

NHS bosses giving evidence to public accounts committee admit current position is unacceptableGPs in England are so “overloaded” that they cannot help older people who are at risk of falling in what NHS bosses accept is an unacceptable failure of care, the House of Commons’ public accounts committee has said.Pressure on GPs’ time has intensified as a result of the government’s decision to give patients online access to their services, according to a report by the influential cross-party group of MPs. Continue reading...

• SoftBank Group has announced a €75 billion investment in France to expand the country's artificial intelligence sector. • The project aims to build a data center with a 5 GW capacity, which would be the largest of its kind in Europe. • This initiative is designed to help Europe compete with the US and Asia in AI infrastructure while creating thousands of high-skilled jobs in engineering, robotics, and manufacturing.