Persistent **Iran-US/Israel tensions feature prominently, with reports on US strikes and their impact on Iran's nuclear program, Khamenei's threats of retaliation, and the deadly humanitarian crisis in Gaza exacerbated by Israeli settler attacks and the EU's struggle for a unified stance**.

• BBC inside Iran state building hit by Israeli missile strike — BBC World -
• Amid Attacks, Iran’s Exiled Opposition Remained Divided. Who Are They? — New York Times World -
• Centrifuges at Iran’s Fordo ‘No Longer Operational’ After U.S. Strikes, Nuclear Watchdog Says — New York Times World -

• What We Know About the Fate of Iran’s Nuclear Program — New York Times World -
• US gained nothing from strikes, Iran's supreme leader says — BBC World -
• Friday Briefing: The Deadly Search for Food in Gaza — New York Times World -
• A U.S. Base in Saudi Arabia Expands to Help Counter Iran — New York Times World -
• Iran carries out wave of arrests and executions in wake of Israel conflict — BBC World -
• Israeli strike at Gaza market kills 18 Palestinians, doctor and witnesses say — BBC World -
• Senators receive delayed Iran briefing as Democrats rage over lack of transparency — The Guardian -
• Israel-Backed Aid Sites In Gaza Pose Lethal Risk for Palestinians Amid Deadly Fighting — New York Times World -
• Khamenei says Iran will strike back if US hits again in first remarks since ceasefire — The Guardian -
• Middle East crisis: Iran delivered ‘heavy slap to US’s face’, says Khamenei as he threatens further attacks on American bases – as it happened — The Guardian -
• ‘They attack us without provocation’: West Bank town mourns its dead after settler raid — The Guardian -
• Three Palestinians killed during Israeli settler attack on West Bank village — BBC World -
• Hegseth defends Iran strike amid doubts over Trump’s ‘obliteration’ claims — The Guardian -
• EU's 27 countries struggle to find a united voice on Gaza — BBC World -
• First Thing: Trump officials cite ‘new intelligence’ to back president’s claims of successful Iran strikes — The Guardian -
• Officials Share New Analysis of Iran Strike, and Zohran Mamdani Talks Next Steps — New York Times World -
• They Escaped War in Ukraine. It Found Them in Israel. — New York Times World -
• Thursday Briefing — New York Times World -
• Trump Says U.S. and Iran to Meet; White House Disputes Damage Report — New York Times World -
• Trump officials cite ‘new intelligence’ to back president’s claims of success in strikes on Iran — The Guardian -
• Where Is Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? — New York Times World -
• Gaza mediators intensifying ceasefire efforts, Hamas official says — BBC World -

The Trump administration's legislative efforts face hurdles, while its proposed cuts to cancer research and restrictions on public health initiatives draw significant criticism, alongside ongoing debates on immigration policy and the Supreme Court's impactful decisions on reproductive rights.

• Trump makes case for ‘big, beautiful bill’ and cranks up pressure on Republicans — The Guardian -
• Trump celebrates ‘big beautiful bill’ despite Senate parliamentarian rejecting key elements – live — The Guardian -
• Republicans Propose a New Way to Scrap Fuel Economy Rules: No Fines — New York Times World -

• The woman who could bust Trump's 'big beautiful bill' — BBC World -
• US citizen arrested during Ice raid in what family describes as ‘kidnapping’ — The Guardian -
• Plan to open California’s largest immigration jail sparks outrage — The Guardian -
• Democratic senator sounds alarm on party’s failures: ‘We don’t act as a team’ — The Guardian -
• RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel votes against preservative in flu shots in shock move — The Guardian -
• US pediatricians criticize RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel: ‘Truly an embarrassment’ — The Guardian -
• Six arrested at protest of Palantir, tech company building deportation software for Trump admin — The Guardian -
• Purple heart army veteran self-deports after 50 years from ‘country I fought for’ — The Guardian -
• Mamdani faces barrage of Islamophobic attacks after New York primary success — The Guardian -
• RFK Jr will be ‘personally responsible’ for children’s deaths by halting vaccine alliance funding, experts say — The Guardian -
• Supreme court paves way for South Carolina and other states to defund Planned Parenthood — The Guardian -
• Inside the Global Deal-Making Behind Trump’s Mass Deportations — New York Times World -
• Ro Khanna calls on Democrats to reclaim identity as ‘the anti-war party’ — The Guardian -
• Clothing prices rising in US as Trump tariffs kick in, H&M boss says — The Guardian -
• US state department told to terminate nearly all its overseas pro-democracy programs — The Guardian -
• Cancer experts alarmed over ‘gut-wrenching’ Trump plan to cut research spending by billions — The Guardian -
• RFK Jr. Accuses Gavi, Global Vaccine Agency, of Ignoring Science — New York Times World -
• Promise of Victory Over H.I.V. Fades as U.S. Withdraws Support — New York Times World -
• Dollar falls to three-year low after report Trump may name next Fed chair early — The Guardian -
• Trump slams Zohran Mamdani as Republicans go on attack after New York mayoral primary – as it happened — The Guardian -
• RFK Jr's vaccine panel to review long-approved jabs for children — BBC World -

The UK confronts various domestic challenges, including an inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal, widespread youth mental health issues, and the economic impact of early cancer deaths, while Labour party welfare reforms spark rebellion and discussions continue on climate change infrastructure preparedness and foreign ownership of media.

• Police identify seven as main suspects in Post Office Horizon scandal inquiry — The Guardian -
• People dying early of cancer costs UK economy £10.3bn a year, study finds — The Guardian -
• One in four young people in England have mental health condition, NHS survey finds — The Guardian -

• Amy Hunt says murder of her mother and sisters ‘rooted in misogyny’ — The Guardian -
• Starmer aide Morgan McSweeney under fire after Labour welfare rebellion — The Guardian -
• Two Met officers dismissed for gross misconduct after strip-search of black schoolgirl — The Guardian -
• Starmer offers ‘massive concessions’ on welfare bill to Labour rebels — The Guardian -
• Review calls for £10m overhaul of the Office for National Statistics — The Guardian -
• No 10 accused of imposing effective ban on civil servants speaking at events — The Guardian -
• Seven people taken to hospital after college bus crashes into Hampshire river — The Guardian -
• ‘Bungling Badenoch’ under fire after suggesting Starmer wrong to miss PMQs for Nato summit – UK politics live — The Guardian -
• Number of higher-rate UK taxpayers expected to hit more than 7m this year — The Guardian -
• Growing signs of slowdown in UK jobs market, says Bank of England governor — The Guardian -
• Members of British Jewish body suspended after criticising Israel to launch appeal — The Guardian -
• Ministers refuse to name companies that lobbied them over foreign ownership of UK newspapers — The Guardian -
• UK study shows 8% of children aged eight to 14 have viewed online pornography — The Guardian -
• Jes Staley loses appeal against City ban for misleading watchdog over Epstein links — The Guardian -
• Rules that protect UK homeowners from repossessions may be scrapped — The Guardian -
• London’s often unruly and overpriced pedicabs to be regulated — The Guardian -
• Keir Starmer confirms No 10 is offering concessions to Labour welfare rebels — The Guardian -
• Reform Warwickshire council head quits after five weeks, leaving 18-year-old in charge — The Guardian -
• ‘The site is huge’: division in Cardiff over music festival as green space closed off — The Guardian -
• Nurse loses appeal against 2008 conviction for murder of four patients in Leeds — The Guardian -
• Britain’s biggest biofuel plant could close over impact of UK-US trade deal — The Guardian -
• ‘Amazing for blind people’: app helps cricket fan find way around Lord’s — The Guardian -
• UK schools and offices not equipped for impact of global heating, report warns — The Guardian -
• Shell has ‘no intention’ of making offer to buy BP after £60bn takeover rumours — The Guardian -
• Northern Ireland nationalists fear focus on reconciliation stalling push for unity referendum — The Guardian -
• Thursday briefing: Keir Starmer is ready to make concessions on his welfare reform bill – will they be enough? — The Guardian -
• Third-country asylum plan shows UK is in ‘a very dark place’, says Albanian PM — The Guardian -
• Excessive use of charging powers observed in joint enterprise trials, say researchers — The Guardian -
• MPs urge Amazon and eBay to tighten controls on ebike and charger sales — The Guardian -
• Visa income rules discriminate against working-class people, British father says — The Guardian -
• Equivalent of one child in every British classroom now born via IVF, data shows — The Guardian -

Recent developments include Australia's efforts to counter white supremacist groups, ongoing debates on Indigenous recognition, concerns over rising school absenteeism, and progress towards cannabis decriminalization, alongside a major murder trial and a climate-linked visa agreement with Tuvalu.

• Australia news live: white supremacist terror group ‘very different’ to a lot of others listed, Burke says — The Guardian -
• Queensland public servants forbidden from including acknowledgments of country in email signatures, Labor says — The Guardian -
• Melbourne’s Savage Club to allow ‘lady guest’ diners as cost of living strikes men-only haven — The Guardian -

• Sussan Ley pushes for new collaborative policy process in bid to avoid Peter Dutton-style party control — The Guardian -
• A rising proportion of Australian students aren’t going to school – and there’s not just one way to get them back, report says — The Guardian -
• NSW politicians say cannabis decriminalisation inevitable after report points to unequal system — The Guardian -
• Cassius Turvey’s murder has ‘torn at the very fabric of our society’, his mother tells court — The Guardian -
• Judge criticises bid to thwart Victorian Liberal party’s John Pesutto bailout as ‘half baked’ waste of court time — The Guardian -
• War of words between online safety chief and YouTube continues – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Student allegedly hacked Western Sydney University to get discounted parking and alter academic results — The Guardian -
• Nearly a third of Tuvalu citizens enter ballot for climate-linked visa to relocate to Australia — The Guardian -
• Erin Patterson mushroom trial day 38 – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Australian consumer watchdog takes gas company to court alleging it misled consumers over renewables claim — The Guardian -
• Review of NSW Labor’s controversial $37m election fund urges rapid overhaul of grant guidelines — The Guardian -

International headlines cover the EU's readiness for a US trade deal and rollback on environmental policy, East African governments' alleged efforts to silence dissent, and Jamaica's push for slavery reparations, alongside Ecuador's gang leader capture, Germany's military recruitment challenges, and NATO's increased defense spending.

• EU ready for trade deal with US but prepared to fail, says von der Leyen — The Guardian -
• 'They brainwashed my son': the families of PKK fighters waiting for 40-year conflict to end — BBC World -
• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent? — BBC World -

• Jamaica to ask King Charles to refer issue of reparations for slavery to UK’s privy council — The Guardian -
• Mexican president demands proof after US accuses banks of laundering drug money — The Guardian -
• Armenia's PM offers to expose himself in escalating Church row — BBC World -
• Netanyahu thanks Trump for public call to cancel his corruption trial — The Guardian -
• European leaders meet in Brussels to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, defence and migration – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Ex-world leaders call for ‘powerful shift’ as they warn of extreme inequality — The Guardian -
• Ally of Cameroon president, 92, quits 'broken' government to challenge him — BBC World -
• Germany Wants Recruits. But ‘No One Wants Their Children in the Army.’ — New York Times World -
• Ukrainian forces halt Russian advance in Sumy region, says army chief — BBC World -
• Death Toll From Kenya Protests Climbs, Rights Group Says — New York Times World -
• Why Ukraine Fell Down the Agenda at the NATO Summit — New York Times World -
• What to Know About the Antigovernment Protests in Kenya — New York Times World -
• North Korea to open beach resort as Kim bets on tourism — BBC World -
• An Investor Took on Hong Kong Tycoons Faces a Tougher Foe — New York Times World -
• Kim Jong-un hails new North Korean beach resort as one of country’s ‘greatest feats’ this year — The Guardian -
• EU rollback on environmental policy is gaining momentum, warn campaigners — The Guardian -
• In a Win for Trump, NATO Agrees to a Big Increase in Military Spending — New York Times World -

Key criminal cases include the Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex-trafficking trial, an Argentinian judge's order for a trial in absentia for the 1994 Jewish center bombing, and the execution of Mississippi's longest-serving death row inmate, alongside the arrest of a housekeeper in a Greek wildfire case and police arrests of Japanese teachers for sharing illicit photos.

• Closing arguments begin in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sex-trafficking trial — The Guardian -
• Suspects in 1994 bombing of Buenos Aires Jewish community centre to be tried in absentia — The Guardian -
• Criminal who helped inspire 'Stockholm syndrome' theory dies — BBC World -

• Ecuador Captures Gang Leader ‘Fito’ Whose Prison Escape Set Off Violence — New York Times World -
• U.S. Accuses Three Mexican Financial Firms of Aiding Fentanyl Trade — New York Times World -
• Kim Kardashian 'grandpa robber' dies month after trial — BBC World -
• Venezuela's ex-spy chief pleads guilty to narco-terrorism charges — BBC World -
• Longest-serving person on Mississippi’s death row executed — The Guardian -
• Japan arrests primary school teachers for sharing upskirt photos — BBC World -

Significant developments include investigations into SpaceX explosion debris, lawsuits against Microsoft and Meta over AI training data, and advances in human genome synthesis and miscarriage risk testing, while wildfires in Greece and discussions on naming storms after fossil fuel companies highlight environmental concerns.

• Watch: Large fireball seen shooting across sky over Southeastern US — BBC World -
• Debris From SpaceX Explosion, Landing in Mexico, Draws Investigation — New York Times World -
• California bear who injured Lake Tahoe camper killed by park ranger — The Guardian -

• Homes burn in Greece as wildfire sweeps through coastal towns — BBC World -
• Group of high-profile authors sue Microsoft over use of their books in AI training — The Guardian -
• ‘Send them to Mars’: Led By Donkeys Glastonbury exhibit takes aim at Musk — The Guardian -
• Test developed to identify women at increased risk of miscarriage — The Guardian -
• Met Office should name storms after fossil fuel companies, say campaigners — The Guardian -
• UK scientists to synthesise human genome to learn more about how DNA works — The Guardian -
• Housekeeper Arrested Over Wildfire That Scorched Greek Island — New York Times World -
• Astronaut becomes first Indian to set foot on ISS — BBC World -
• Here’s Another Use for Ice: Creating Secret Codes — New York Times World -
• How Two Neuroscientists View Optical Illusions — New York Times World -
• Meta wins AI copyright lawsuit as US judge rules against authors — The Guardian -
• Work begins to create artificial human DNA from scratch — BBC World -

The Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez wedding in Venice garners significant attention, alongside news of Anna Wintour's departure from US Vogue, the announcement of Denis Villeneuve as the new James Bond director, and BBC's plans to charge US users for news content, with other headlines celebrating film academy invitees and a museum award.

• Brad Pitt's Los Angeles home 'ransacked', police say — BBC World -
• Bill Moyers, Lyndon Johnson press chief and celebrated broadcaster, dies at 91 — The Guardian -
• Anna Wintour stepping back as US Vogue's editor-in-chief — BBC World -

• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Keep Details of Their Venice Wedding Under Wraps — New York Times World -
• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez arrive in Venice for divisive wedding — The Guardian -
• Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Ariana Grande among new invited film Academy members — The Guardian -
• ‘Joyous, immersive’ Beamish wins Art Fund museum of the year award — The Guardian -
• Chris and Sarra Hoy awarded freedom of the City of London — The Guardian -
• Kardashians, critics and copycats kick off €40m Bezos wedding bash — The Guardian -
• Bugonia: first trailer for new Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos collaboration — The Guardian -
• With Bezos Wedding, Venice Braces for Love in the Time of Tech Billionaires — New York Times World -
• Al Pacino on how he got his Modigliani film off the ground after 30 years — The Guardian -
• A Photo Gone Wrong in the Uffizi Fuels Selfie Worries in Europe’s Museums — New York Times World -
• BBC to start charging US-based consumers for news and TV coverage — The Guardian -
• Denis Villeneuve announced as new James Bond director — BBC World -
• ‘Extraordinary’ silver sculpture inspired by love that scandalised Victorian society goes on show — The Guardian -

Headlines delve into diverse societal topics such as the tragic crush killing pupils in Central Africa, New Zealand's approval of psychedelic therapy for depression, and a heartwarming personal story of reconnecting with family history through books.

• Crush kills 29 pupils taking exams after blast in Central Africa — BBC World -
• New Zealand Approved Psychedelic Therapy. He’s the Only Doctor Who Can Do It. — New York Times World -
• He Searched for His Past in Children’s Books. He Found His Wife’s. — New York Times World -