Iran, Qatar hold Hormuz talks as US blockade squeezes Iran oil exports
France 24

Iran, Qatar hold Hormuz talks as US blockade squeezes Iran oil exports

Officials from Iran and Qatar met on Thursday in Tehran for diplomatic talks on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as a US naval blockade chokes oil supplies to Iran amid a domestic shortfall. The meetings follow a week of intense diplomacy in Iran involving separate meetings with officials from Oman and Pakistani seeking ways to end the war and reopen Hormuz.

RFK Jr lied in Senate confirmation hearings, newly revealed documents indicate
The Guardian

RFK Jr lied in Senate confirmation hearings, newly revealed documents indicate

Letters obtained by Guardian and AP contradict testimony that 2019 visit to Samoa had ‘nothing to do with vaccines’Newly obtained documents indicate that the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, lied during two congressional hearings last year, telling lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation that a 2019 visit to Samoa had “nothing to do with vaccines”.Letters obtained by the Guardian a...

BBC to bring back Top Gear amid speculation about show’s next presenters

BBC to bring back Top Gear amid speculation about show’s next presenters

The Guardian

Motoring series to return after break since serious injuries to co-host Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff in crash during filmingTop Gear, the long-running motoring show which has been off air since its co-host Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was seriously injured in a crash during filming almost four years ago, is to return to the BBC, the broadcaster confirmed today.After Flintoff’s accident at Dunsfold Aerod...

Plane headed for remote Alaska town crashes and kills all four passengers on board

Plane headed for remote Alaska town crashes and kills all four passengers on board

The Guardian

Plane was headed for airport in Seldovia from Anchorage, and was submerged in water after the crashA small plane carrying four people crashed into shallow waters next to a remote coastal town in Alaska on Wednesday, killing everyone on board, according to officials.The Piper PA-24 was headed for the airport in the small town of Seldovia after taking off from Anchorage, according to a statement fro...

Nepal flash flood: more than 350 killed amid warning of fresh danger from rising lake water – latest updates

Nepal flash flood: more than 350 killed amid warning of fresh danger from rising lake water – latest updates

The Guardian

Authorities say water rising at lake at site of disaster and it could burstNearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killedVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Eyewitness accounts have been emerging from the Tibetan side of the border, with a woman saying she was travelling from Gyirong town towards Nepal on Wednesday morning w...

Iran endures 6 months of US strikes as Trump’s war goals hit ‘dangerous impasse’

Iran endures 6 months of US strikes as Trump’s war goals hit ‘dangerous impasse’

SCMP

The Iran war has reached its endgame: a costly stalemate. Six months after US and Israeli ⁠forces attacked Iran, killing its supreme leader and maiming his son and successor, the Iranian government is under economic siege, but it still holds power and believes it has time on its side. A threat by US President Donald Trump to impose crippling new sanctions on Iran faces a fundamental problem: Tehra...

Nearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, after Nepal-Tibet flash flood kills at least 356

Nearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, after Nepal-Tibet flash flood kills at least 356

The Guardian

Entire villages swept away after glacial collapse triggers flood in mountainous region popular with trekkers and pilgrimsNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesHave you been affected by the flash floods?Rescuers are searching for nearly 1,400 people, most of them tourists, who are missing after a catastrophic flash flood hit Nepal and Tibet, thundering down valleys, obliterating entire villages a...

Nepal flash flood: more than 350 killed amid warning of fresh danger – latest updates

Nepal flash flood: more than 350 killed amid warning of fresh danger – latest updates

The Guardian

Authorities say water rising at lake at site of disaster and it could burstNearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killedVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Eyewitness accounts have been emerging from the Tibetan side of the border, with a woman saying she was travelling from Gyirong town towards Nepal on Wednesday morning w...

‘Strong signal’: South Korea raises rates again to fight inflation, rising home prices

‘Strong signal’: South Korea raises rates again to fight inflation, rising home prices

SCMP

South Korea’s central bank has raised interest rates for a second straight month, with analysts saying its semiconductor boom has given policymakers room to confront inflation, a weak won and rising home prices, but at the cost of a deeper squeeze on indebted households and small businesses. The Bank of Korea (BOK) lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.0 per cent on Thursday, a m...

Russia says UK ‘playing with fire’ amid reports CIA chief has warned Kremlin not to attack Nato

Russia says UK ‘playing with fire’ amid reports CIA chief has warned Kremlin not to attack Nato

The Guardian

Moscow threatens retaliation after Andy Burnham says UK will help Ukraine start producing long-range missilesRussia has said it could retaliate against the UK for its support of Kyiv by striking military targets inside and outside Ukraine, amid reports that the director of the CIA warned the Kremlin against attacking Nato during a secretive visit this week.Andy Burnham, Britain’s prime minister, s...

Russia warns Britain is ‘playing with fire’ over its support of Ukraine

Russia warns Britain is ‘playing with fire’ over its support of Ukraine

The Guardian

Kremlin threatens retaliation after Burnham says UK will help Ukraine start producing long-range missilesRussia has said it could retaliate against the UK for its support of Kyiv by striking military targets inside and outside Ukraine, amid reports that the director of the CIA warned the Kremlin against attacking Nato during a secretive visit this week.Andy Burnham, Britain’s prime minister, said ...

Nepal flash flood: Disaster in a geological battleground zone

Nepal flash flood: Disaster in a geological battleground zone

France 24

France 24's Leela Jacinto takes a look at how the extreme geography of Nepal and Tibet, dominated by the Himilaya mountains, contributed to the initial confusion over the cause of catastrophic floods that have killed at least 180 people - now believed to be the result of a glacial collapse.

Tourists carved 350 bamboo stalks in Japan; officials now want the grove out of reach

Tourists carved 350 bamboo stalks in Japan; officials now want the grove out of reach

Times of India

Kyoto’s famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is facing growing damage from tourists carving names and other writing into bamboo stalks. A city inspection found around 350 damaged plants since spring 2025. In response, Kyoto officials plan to cut about 30 sq m of bamboo as a special preservation measure and move the grove further away from the path to prevent visitors from reaching the stalks.

Meta agrees to make sweeping changes to apps for teens | First Thing

Meta agrees to make sweeping changes to apps for teens | First Thing

The Guardian

Safety features including usage limits and night-time blocks to be set by default. Plus changes to famous French cheesesDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. Meta has agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook apps in a settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit. The agreement curtails a major trial in California and will require the social media com...

First Thing: Meta agrees to make sweeping changes to apps for teens | Martin Belam

First Thing: Meta agrees to make sweeping changes to apps for teens | Martin Belam

The Guardian

Safety features including usage limits and night-time blocks to be set by default. Plus changes to famous French cheesesGood morning. Meta has agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook apps in a settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit. The agreement curtails a major trial in California and will require the social media company to pay up to $18bn. Meta agreed to establish safegua...

Birmingham seeks injunction to stop anti-migrant group erecting flags on infrastructure

Birmingham seeks injunction to stop anti-migrant group erecting flags on infrastructure

The Guardian

City residents had accused council of giving ‘free rein’ to campaign promoting England flags Birmingham city council is seeking an injunction to stop members of an anti-migrant group from erecting flags, including union jack and St George’s flags, on public infrastructure across the city.A nationwide campaign to give prominence to the England flag, which resulted in thousands of St George’s crosse...

Quote of the day by Isaac Asimov: "The saddest aspect of life right now is…"

Quote of the day by Isaac Asimov: "The saddest aspect of life right now is…"

Times of India

Humanity gains knowledge rapidly, but wisdom lags behind societal needs. Technological advancements offer immense possibilities, yet ethical considerations remain crucial. Wisdom involves understanding consequences and societal impact beyond immediate gains. The information age amplifies this gap, making context and analysis vital. Progress requires reflection and experience, not just accelera...

A Chinese American Army veteran turned a mountain into a ski resort; it’s now joining a state park

A Chinese American Army veteran turned a mountain into a ski resort; it’s now joining a state park

Times of India

In the 1950s, Chinese American Army veteran Joseph Tso bought a mountain property near Ellenville, New York, and developed a hotel and ski area there. The resort became the country’s only Chinese American-owned and operated ski resort. In 2026, the 440-acre Mt. Cathalia property was acquired for $3.3 million and is planned to become part of Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

Ebola outbreak over in Uganda but cases still rising in DR Congo

Ebola outbreak over in Uganda but cases still rising in DR Congo

France 24

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in Uganda is over but it is still not under control in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese government says there have been more than 2,700 deaths and more than 5,600 cases of Ebola and that transmission remains active.

French PM looks to speed up cyclone reconstruction on Mayotte visit

French PM looks to speed up cyclone reconstruction on Mayotte visit

France 24

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is in the French island of Mayotte for a two-day visit, accompanied by six ministers. On the agenda are discussions about the island’s reconstruction, more than a year and a half after Cyclone Chido struck. Lecornu says he shares the impatience of the people of Mayotte and wants to “provide solutions”.