Programme

• The ASEAN Film Festival 2026 will run from 20 August to 27 September, featuring its largest program to date with over 30 films and free screenings. • The event opens with the Philippines' "Song of the Fireflies" and marks the first-ever participation of Timor-Leste, alongside entries from other ASEAN nations and guests from China and Hong Kong. • The diverse lineup includes titles such as Thailand's "SuckSeed," Singapore's "881," and Indonesia's "Jumbo," aiming to bridge cultures through storytelling and music-themed dramas.

• In 2026, NASA successfully flew astronauts around the Moon for the first time in over fifty years, marking a major milestone in human space exploration. • Simultaneously, the White House proposed some of the deepest budget cuts in the agency's history, specifically targeting science and climate research programs. • The proposed cuts would disproportionately impact robotic probes and telescopes, which are the most cost-effective tools for NASA's scientific discoveries.

Ukraine and nine other countries including UK issue joint statement as leaders meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in ParisUkraine and nine other countries including the UK, Germany and France are to build a shared protection programme for Europe against ballistic missiles, using Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years.“Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe,” the 10 nations said in a statement on Monday as leaders met the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for talks in Paris. Continue reading...

• ING has announced progress on its €1.0 billion share buyback programme, which was originally initiated on April 30, 2026. • The company is executing the buyback to return capital to shareholders, though the exact total of shares repurchased to date was not specified in the snippet. • This financial move occurs amidst volatile economic conditions, including fluctuating interest rates and the ongoing global impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced its 2026 programme, which will run from August 13-19. • The lineup features 38 new feature film presentations, including 21 world premieres, with 10 of those competing for the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. • The event will introduce the inaugural EIFF Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award, which will be presented to Kenneth Branagh.

• US and Iranian representatives concluded a round of talks in Doha without reaching a breakthrough, as the critical issue of Iran's nuclear programme was omitted from the agenda. • The next set of discussions is scheduled to occur after July 9, following the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. • Global oil prices dropped to their lowest level in four months after President Trump suggested that the likelihood of a full-scale conflict had diminished.

• Rebel fighters besieging El Obeid, Sudan, are using drone attacks that have put approximately 500,000 civilians at risk of large-scale atrocities. • The ongoing conflict has displaced over 14 million people internally and pushed millions toward famine while severely limiting humanitarian access. • Sudan is facing a public health crisis with concurrent outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever, and cholera, the latter causing 120 deaths and 1,102 cases since Monday.

Staff at Radio 4 show, which has 5 million listeners, told making content for likes of TikTok will take precedence for correspondentsFor decades, the task of briefing the nation on Radio 4’s agenda-setting Today programme has been one of the most urgent tasks facing the BBC’s top journalists.However, insiders at the corporation say that duty has effectively been downgraded, after an edict that will result in correspondents prioritising making content for TikTok, Instagram and other digital platforms. Continue reading...

Joint statement welcomes Trump’s deal with Iran to end war and calls for further talks involving European leadersEurope live – latest updatesDonald Trump has backed a joint G7 leaders’ statement that welcomes the deal he has struck with Iran but says a follow-on agreement is necessary to rein in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, an issue not directly addressed in the memorandum of understanding that is due to be signed on Friday by Iran and the US.The statement says future negotiations with Iran would benefit from the involvement of a wider group of regional and international actors including the UN nuclear weapons agency, the IAEA. Continue reading...

• British health authorities announced a one-off vaccination programme on Friday, June 12, to protect thousands of students against meningococcal B (MenB) disease. • The initiative follows the largest outbreak of the disease in the UK's history, which occurred earlier this year and notably affected students in Canterbury, Kent. • This urgent public health response aims to curb the spread of the bacteria and prevent further severe cases of meningitis among high-risk student populations.

• Indian deep technology startups have raised $1.23 billion across 120 funding rounds so far in 2026. • This activity follows a highly active 2025, during which the sector recorded a total of 372 funding rounds. • The trend highlights a maturing ecosystem as new funding platforms and specialized startup support programmes are launched to sustain growth.

Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a surprise appearance at a performance of Abba VoyageAbba Voyage concerts can be deafening enough. But when the real-life Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made an appearance in the hall, which was packed with hundreds of schoolchildren, even security staff present were surprised by the din.On Tuesday, at the custom-built Abba Arena in east London, the virtual concert residency launched its expanded education programme, which aims to support young people across the area getting into creative industries. Continue reading...

• Europe is currently failing to meet its goal of increasing its global semiconductor production share to 20% by 2030. • To address this, the bloc is considering new plans to boost domestic demand and a streamlined, centralized subsidy process to better compete with the U.S. • The U.S. provides a stark contrast in efficiency, having mobilized $39 billion in federal funding and a 25% investment tax credit via the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.

London authority’s new Tory-led administration delivers significant blow to Labour’s flagship housebuilding schemeEnfield council in north London has withdrawn from the government’s new towns programme, in a significant blow to Labour’s flagship housebuilding scheme.The move by the new minority Conservative-led administration could present one of the first tests of Rachel Reeves’s planning changes, designed to curb the use of judicial reviews against new infrastructure. Continue reading...

• Samsung has launched its 2026 startup acceleration program in India, inviting applications from deep-tech startups to collaborate within its global mobile ecosystem. • The program provides up to $50,000 in grant funding with no equity stake required for Proof-of-Concept (PoC) development, allowing startups to validate and scale innovations. • Building on the success of the initiative launched in 2023, the program aims to bridge the gap between emerging Indian startups and Samsung's established mobile technology infrastructure.

Nadia Fall calls for bold thinking as she announces new shows including anti-Trump version of Thelma & LouiseTheatres facing financial difficulty can only prosper by “programming their way out of it”, according to the Young Vic artistic director, Nadia Fall, who has announces her new slate of shows, including an anti-Trump musical version of Thelma & Louise.Fall, who took the helm at the Young Vic in 2025 and oversaw staff cuts after a £500,000 deficit in the last financial year, said theatres must put on unmissable productions in order to balance the books. Continue reading...

Iranian sources, however, blame ‘excessive’ demands from Washington for breakdown of talks in Islamabad to resolve US-Iran conflictMiddle East crisis – liveThe US vice-president, JD Vance, has blamed the failure of marathon negotiations with Iran on the country’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian sources have hit back at “excessive” demands from Washington.Vance, who left Islamabad on Sunday morning after 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials in the Pakistani capital, said his team had been very clear on its red lines, as hopes faded of a quick end to the conflict that began on 28 February. Continue reading...

The home affairs select committee said Prevent cannot deal with the modern challenges of fighting extremismThe government’s anti-terrorism programme, Prevent, is “outdated and inadequately prepared” to deal with modern challenges such as extremists adhering to no particular ideology, an influential cross-party group of MPs has concluded.The home affairs select committee has called for a reset to the approach for dealing with fast-evolving online subcultures promoting antisemitism, anti-Muslim hostility, misogyny and violence, as well as an over-representation of neurodiverse people and those with mental health conditions.A growing prevalence of under-18s being drawn into extremism.Neurodiverse individuals, particularly those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, being over-represented among referrals to the programme.Fluid or hybrid ideological beliefs among those referred and a shift toward nihilistic violence.Influencers and creative tools such as memes, humour and coded messaging being used to spread extremist content in a way that is accessible and appealing.Generative AI being used to produce large volumes of tailored content and disinformation.An increase in hate crimes and incidents in the UK that are linked to anti-blasphemy activism, anti-Israel extremism, anti-Muslim hostility and eco-extremism. Continue reading...

As it faces yet another set of delays, NASA’s Artemis programme is being shaken up, delaying an actual moon landing in favour of smaller, faster steps forward