Trump may release US-Iran deal before Friday, Vance says
The US vice-president says the agreement is "about a page and a half" and "very general", meaning many details will be worked out later.
‘Dancing girl’s’ bare torso restored in Indian textbook after backlash
A picture in a new school textbook had covered up the naked torso of the famous figurine with dark shading.
AI could help win ‘race against extinction’ of vital plants, say botanists
Tech is helping to identify and save new specimens and could open ‘genomic goldmine’ of fungi data
The 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...Birthkeeper hired by woman who died after freebirth tells inquest she was ‘not there to make a birth safer’
Emily Lal – paid $6,000 to provide freebirth support package to Stacey Warnecke – tells coroner her role was primarily to be a ‘supportive friend’
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A birthkeeper hired by a woman who died after giving birth at home has told a coroner that she was “not there to make a birth safer”.
Emily Lal gave evidence on Tuesday at the inquest into the death of 30-year-old Stacey Warnecke, who died on 29 September in Frankston hospital after giving birth at home with her husband and Lal present.
Continue reading...Tuesday briefing: How the UK’s military spending row exposes Starmer’s defence dilemma
In today’s newsletter: An argument about money has also spotlighted questions about Britain’s place in the world and the changing face of warfare
Good morning. What conflict has raged longer than the hundred years war? The fight between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over defence spending.
I’d love to claim this as my own, but avoid patter theft this early in the day. So I’ll credit my colleague Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, who spoke to me ahead of this week’s G7 meeting, in France, where Keir Starmer arrived yesterday for what could be his final international summit. The prime minister can anticipate candid discussions about international partnerships in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, both of which may soon demand increased involvement from the British military.
Middle East | Donald Trump has declared that the strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” from Friday, as western leaders gathering at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains battled to prevent the fragile US deal with Iran from almost immediately unravelling.
UK politics | Political hatred and division in the UK is probably worse now than during the Brexit referendum, when Jo Cox was murdered, says Kim Leadbeater, Cox’s sister who is now also a Labour MP.
Crime | A schoolteacher described as a “serial manipulator and a serial liar” has been found guilty of sexually abusing and murdering a baby he and his partner had adopted.
Environment | Half of the world’s children are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards threatening their health, education and survival, according to a Unicef report.
US news | Eight people are presumed dead after a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday morning at a US air force base in California’s Mojave Desert, officials said.
Continue reading...Paedophile teacher William ‘Rob’ Gilfillan sentenced for sexual offences against two Victorian schoolgirls in the 1980s
Former PE teacher will serve time for crimes perpetrated at Traralgon high school in Gippsland concurrently with prior 48-year sentence
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A former physical education teacher serving Australia’s longest sentence for child sexual abuse offences against his daughter has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years for “brazen and forcible” sexual crimes against two schoolgirls in his care in the 1980s.
In December, William “Rob” Gilfillan was found guilty of indecent assault of a person under 16 and sexual penetration of a child under 16. The five counts against two victims took place at Traralgon high school in Gippsland, Victoria.
Continue reading...Japan raises interest rate to highest since 1995
The Bank of Japan has been raising rates from near-zero since 2024.
RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank holds official cash rate at 4.35% as economy slows and unemployment rises
Reserve Bank of Australia decision on Tuesday comes after three consecutive cash rate hikes this year
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The Reserve Bank has warned it is ready to raise interest rates further despite leaving its official interest rate on hold at 4.35%.
The widely expected decision on Tuesday will bring little relief to mortgage holders, already strained by the RBA’s three consecutive rate hikes earlier in 2026.
Continue reading...‘Unbelievable’ waste and inefficiency at MoD, says ex-defence minister Al Carns
Exclusive: Carns, who quit last week, says he was angered by unwillingness to confront sunk costs of legacy programmes
There is “unbelievable” waste and inefficiency at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the former armed forces minister Al Carns has said, adding that every time he would “turn a stone over” he would get another shock.
Carns said that during his time as a defence minister he had been angered by the unwillingness to confront the sunk costs of legacy programmes – and suggested mismanaged programmes such as tanks investment should be scrapped in favour of new technology.
Continue reading...EV prices in UK and EU not likely to dive due to Chinese rivalry, says Xpeng boss
Brian Gu says he sees Chinese car firms competing on quality rather than launching price war as at home
Motorists in the UK and EU should not expect a sharp drop in the cost of electric vehicles despite increased competition among Chinese manufacturers, one of the country’s biggest electric carmakers has said.
Brian Gu, the vice-chair of the manufacturer Xpeng, said that Chinese carmakers could compete on quality to win customers in the EU and UK, rather than unleashing a brutal price war as they have in China.
Continue reading...Vance says details of US-Iran agreement still to be worked out amid scepticism from Republicans
Senate Republicans say there are many unanswered questions about the deal and question inclusion of funds for Iran
The US vice-president, JD Vance, has said a number of issues still need to be figured out with Iran, as many Republicans expressed scepticism of the agreement reached this week by Donald Trump, and pressed the White House to release more information about it.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) announced Sunday to end the war in Iran, set for a ceremonial signing on Friday in Geneva, is centred around reopening the strait of Hormuz and lifting the United States’ naval blockade in the region, along with financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks.
Continue reading...Iranian-Americans protest against Iran team at World Cup
The BBC’s Shaimaa Khalil was outside the Iran v New Zealand opening round match as protesters called for an end to Tehran’s clerical regime.
Sweden votes to back laws reinforcing its immigration crackdown
So-called ‘good behaviour’ legislation fiercely criticised by opposition politicians and rights groups
Sweden’s parliament has voted to escalate the country’s crackdown on immigrant rights, backing laws that allow authorities to revoke residency permits based on a vague criteria of bad behaviour and obliging most public sector workers to report anyone suspected of being undocumented.
The new legislation comes ahead of parliamentary elections in September, pitting the centre-right government, which currently depends on the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats to govern, against a far right that has said its intent is to create one of Europe’s most hostile environments for non-Europeans.
Continue reading...Trust in news hits a new low, research suggests
The Reuters Institute records its lowest trust figures since the annual research began in 2015.
Iran deal presents political nightmare for Netanyahu
Donald Trump's ceasefire agreement with Iran leaves the Israeli PM trapped in a new political and security dilemma.
Starbucks Korea to temporarily shut all stores for history lesson after bungled coffee promotion
The closures, so employees can watch a recorded lecture, will cost the company an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in sales
Starbucks Korea will simultaneously close all its stores for a mandatory history lesson, after a disastrous promotion that evoked memories of a pro-democracy massacre sparked public and political backlash.
More than 2,000 stores will temporarily close at 3pm on 22 June, the company said, so staff can watch recorded lectures on modern Korean history and engage in “social sensitivity” training. The half-day closures will cost Starbucks an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in lost sales, according to data firm IGAWorks.
Continue reading...Eight dead after US Air Force B-52 bomber crashes in California
The incident occurred on Monday morning while the aircraft had been on a routine test mission.
Eight presumed dead after B-52 bomber crashes at California air force base
B-52 crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards air force base in southern California’s Mojave Desert, officials say
Eight people are presumed dead after a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday morning at a US air force base in California’s Mojave Desert, officials said.
“An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after take-off at 11:20 a.m,” Edwards air force base said in a statement Monday afternoon. “Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable. Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel.”
Continue reading...Australia to probe assault claims by Gaza flotilla activists against Israeli forces
Australian activists claim they were kidnapped, raped and tortured after being detained in May.
What one country’s experiment says about attempts to boost birth rates
Why did Hungary’s pronatalist approach deliver an early rise in births only then to fall back? And what lessons does it offer to other countries desperate to lift fertility?