Iran is jealously competing with Oman as decision-maker over strait of Hormuz

Tehran believes it should control the shipping route but its neighbour has its own plans for reopening it

The strait of Hormuz is Iran’s chief bargaining tool in the negotiations with the US and so it was always likely to be the greatest point of contention. Every inch of the 24-mile-wide waterway is being contested in a test of wills and patience.

For Iran, the continuation of the dispute is not a problem so long as it does not lose control.

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Crocodile attacks, kills 28-year-old at popular Mexico beach and drags him out to sea, reports say – AZ Family

  1. Crocodile attacks, kills 28-year-old at popular Mexico beach and drags him out to sea, reports say  AZ Family
  2. Man, 28, dragged out to sea and killed by crocodile at popular resort: Police  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  3. Young man dies after being attacked by crocodile near resort at popular beach destination  FOX Weather
  4. 28-Year-Old Man Dies in Fatal Crocodile Attack at Popular Tourist Spot  People.com
  5. Man killed, dragged by crocodile into water on the beach near a resort  USA Today
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Andy Burnham says he’d hand more power to local governments if he becomes UK leader – AP News

  1. Andy Burnham says he’d hand more power to local governments if he becomes UK leader  AP News
  2. Andy Burnham sets out plans to devolve power to regions with new 'No 10 North' in Manchester  BBC
  3. UK's prime minister-in-waiting vows to rip up politics as usual  Reuters
  4. Burnham sets out vision to transform Britain and fix ‘broken’ system  The Guardian
  5. Burnham pledges devolution and discipline if he becomes UK prime minister  Al Jazeera
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Israel could go to war with Iran ‘tomorrow,’ Katz warns – Ynetnews

  1. Israel could go to war with Iran 'tomorrow,' Katz warns  Ynetnews
  2. Israel warns war could resume 'within two days' as US pushes ahead with Iran technical talks in Doha  Fox News
  3. Defense Minister Katz: IDF is prepared for independent action against Iran  www.israelhayom.com
  4. US-Israel-Iran War Latest Update: Israel Says If Tehran Attacks Military ‘Ready to Finish the Job’ as Israel Continues Clash with Iran Amid Trump’s Urge to End War  The Sunday Guardian
  5. Israel's Defense Minister says renewed war with Iran is possible  Apa.az
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The show must go on: musical theatre cancellations lead to industry calls for urgent government help

In the space of a week, two major musicals, Waitress and Beetlejuice, and a $20m opera were forced to cancel shows amid skyrocketing costs, putting hundreds out of work

Australia’s theatre industry is in desperate need of tax reform to keep it alive, experts have warned the federal government, after two major touring musicals and a $20m opera cancelled shows in the space of a week, citing skyrocketing costs and soft box office sales.

Broadway musical Waitress, starring Rob Mills and Natalie Bassingthwaighte, announced on Sunday that it would end in Melbourne on 19 July and will not tour to Sydney in August as planned.

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Archbishop of Westminster receives pallium: ‘It’s a very powerful sign’ – Vatican News

  1. Archbishop of Westminster receives pallium: ‘It’s a very powerful sign'  Vatican News
  2. Pope Leo XIV: Peter and Paul show the path to Christian unity  EWTN News
  3. Pope Leo XIV: Sts. Peter and Paul show us how to be ‘servants of the truth in charity’  OSV News
  4. Pallium Mass and Pilgrimage  The Clarion Herald
  5. New archbishops say Pope Leo offers unifying message to US society, church  National Catholic Reporter
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Why Pakistan’s Afghan air strikes aren’t stopping armed attacks – Al Jazeera

  1. Why Pakistan’s Afghan air strikes aren’t stopping armed attacks  Al Jazeera
  2. Pakistan Attacks Afghanistan, Killing More Than 30  The New York Times
  3. Afghanistan's Taliban claims Pakistan airstrikes killed 36 civilians, Pakistan says it was 29 militants  CBS News
  4. At least 28 killed in Pakistan air operations on Afghanistan, UN says  Reuters
  5. Pakistan airstrikes kill dozens in latest cross-border tension with Afghanistan  NBC News
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Europe heatwave shows need to reject climate denial ‘lies’, says EU green chief

Teresa Ribera blames ‘ideologically driven’ falsehoods, driven by those with vested interests in fossil fuels, for attacks on green policy

The heatwave wreaking chaos across Europe is a “dramatic warning” to reject climate naysayers, a European Commission vice-president says.

Teresa Ribera, executive vice-president for a clean, just and competitive transition, lambasted those who listened to the “vested interests” of the fossil fuel industry rather than scientists and their own citizens.

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Weather tracker: North-west US hit by snow ahead of eastern heatwave

Western states experience unseasonally low temperatures but New York and Washington DC could reach 40C by end of week

Unseasonal snow has fallen in some parts of the US, while other parts of the country brace for a heatwave this week.

A strong cold front spread into the western US from the northern Pacific over the weekend, bringing an abrupt change in conditions to a region that had been experiencing high summer temperatures amid drought. Temperatures from the Canadian border to California have widely been 5-10C below the norm since Friday, and more than 10C below in some parts farther north. The pattern is expected to remain for much of the coming week.

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Iran says $6B in assets in Qatar will be released – The Hill

  1. Iran says $6B in assets in Qatar will be released  The Hill
  2. Iran says $6B in assets to be released, fact checking Trump’s claims on birthright citizenship  AP News
  3. Pezeshkian says Iran will get half of frozen assets from lifted sanctions  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Trump says Iran has requested a meeting, but Iranian officials say nothing has been scheduled  The Daily Item
  5. Iran says $6 billion of its assets in Qatar to be released — state media; US, Iran teams to meet in Doha  The Times of Israel
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U.S. and Iran exchange fire despite ceasefire. And, Trump nominates a new head of ICE – NPR

  1. U.S. and Iran exchange fire despite ceasefire. And, Trump nominates a new head of ICE  NPR
  2. Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes and threatens to halt talks  AP News
  3. Iran and US exchange strikes as Hormuz tensions stress agreement  CNN
  4. Iranian drones attack Bahrain and a ship is struck in the strait after US airstrikes  Politico
  5. U.S. military says it struck multiple targets in Iran as ceasefire is strained by 2nd day of attacks  PBS
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‘Saving the Kyiv regime isn’t part of our plans’: Putin on Ukraine, fuel shortages, and Trump – Meduza

  1. ‘Saving the Kyiv regime isn’t part of our plans’: Putin on Ukraine, fuel shortages, and Trump  Meduza
  2. Russia-Ukraine war: Why has Putin rejected limits on long-range strikes?  Al Jazeera
  3. Ukraine war briefing: Putin expects US negotiators in Moscow; fuel rationing in Siberia as crisis bites  The Guardian
  4. Kremlin says Russia's stance on conditions for a Ukraine peace deal has not changed since 2024  Reuters
  5. Putin says Russia will press on despite fuel shortages  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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