BIG Wrap

(BBC News) France has issued red heatwave alerts for around half the country including Paris for Monday as a heatwave pushes temperatures towards record levels. On Sunday, temperatures in the southwestern city of Bordeaux hit 40C (104F). Earlier, French authorities banned alcohol consumption in public places during the annual Fête de la Musique, a national music festival that draws millions to the streets across the country. "For all events organised by the state and its agencies, instructions have been...

(BBC News) Italy's Giorgia Meloni has again hit back at US President Donald Trump on social media after he questioned her political popularity and repeated his claim that she asked "over and over" for a photo together. Trump said on Saturday that the prime minister was "doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity". He also accused her of not supporting US efforts to prevent Iran "from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon". In a statement...

(BBC News) The Iranian military says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon. Iran said Israel's strikes in Lebanon are a breach of Tehran's agreement with the US to end the war. "Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, your security will be jeopardised," Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said. The US-Iran deal includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – a shipping channel through which about 20%...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Israel has continued to attack Lebanon after the new ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, raising fears that Tel Aviv is trying to wreck the fragile agreement tied to wider efforts to end Middle East hostilities. On Friday, officials and diplomats from the United States and the Gulf separately told news agencies that the two sides agreed that a ceasefire would start at 4 pm local time (1300 GMT). Despite the ceasefire, at...

(BBC News) Archaeologists believe they have discovered an earlier, much simpler version of Stonehenge about 5 kilometres away from the prehistoric monument. All that remains of the older structure is two holes in the ground, but the team says they held wooden posts that lined up with the Sun on the summer and winter solstices – the longest and shortest days of the year – in the same way as Stonehenge. The site has been dated...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Ukrainian drones have hit a Moscow oil refinery for the second time ⁠this week while Russia fired missiles at Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks support from the United States and Europe to reach a deal to end the war. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its air defences shot down 555 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight, with almost 200 intercepted as they were approaching the Russian capital. Moscow Mayor...

(BBC News) Israeli forces have carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon, state media say, despite renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump of Israel's actions in the country. Israeli drone strikes injured several people in Mansouri and Aaziyyeh on Wednesday, while jets attacked Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Tebnit, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. Israel's military has not commented, but it did say five soldiers were injured in a drone attack in Lebanon by the Iran-backed...

(BBC News) Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) admits its staff were accused of sexually abusing at least 59 Sudanese refugees who had fled the civil war in search of safety. Young girls were exploited in some cases, and often food or jobs were offered in exchange for sex. The offences were committed in eastern Chad and date back to 2024 – about a year into Sudan's still-raging civil war. MSF says it has sacked 18 culprits...

(BBC News) Pakistan's Prime Minister says a peace deal has been reached between the US and Iran. "Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," said Shehbaz Sharif. Donald Trump said: "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!" Iran is yet to comment. The war began on February 28, with US and Israeli strikes across Iran. It prompted...

(BBC News) Elon Musk on Friday became the world's first trillionaire after shares in his SpaceX rocket company soared during the biggest-ever stock market debut. The Tesla and SpaceX founder comfortably cemented his status as the world's richest man, with his total net worth standing at $1.11 trillion USD, according to the Bloomberg rich list. It came as the rocket, telecommunications and artificial intelligence (AI) company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange with a value of...