Mark Saunokonoko

A SpaceX rocket upper stage struck the Moon at about 8,690 km/h, producing a dust plume tens of kilometres wide. The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope detected sodium and lithium spectral lines in the plume, with sodium likely originating from lunar soil and lithium possibly from the rocket. Scientists estimate the impact created a crater roughly 20 metres wide and say the event could improve understanding of lunar debris hazards and inform future seismic and human-presence missions, although direct imagery of the collision was not obtained.

South Korea is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave that has killed 16 people and led to more than 2,000 heat-related illness cases since May. Temperatures reached a national record of 42.5C in Yangsan, while Seoul faces its first severe heatwave warning, with temperatures forecast to reach 38C. Authorities are checking on vulnerable residents, spraying roads with water, deploying cooling measures and broadcasting safety warnings. President Lee Jae Myung has urged officials to protect residents and inspect power systems amid surging air-conditioning demand. Meteorologists attribute the extreme heat to overlapping high-pressure systems, strong sunlight, the foehn effect and the possible influence of Typhoon Dolphin, while scientists link the increasing intensity of such events to human-caused climate change.

South Korea recorded its highest temperature since modern observations began, with Yangsan reaching 42.5C and temperatures exceeding 40C for a fifth consecutive day in parts of the country. Authorities issued emergency heatwave alerts, urged people to stop outdoor activities and warned that indoor spaces without air conditioning could be dangerous. Officials are protecting vulnerable residents and monitoring power and water supplies, while a typhoon could either intensify or temporarily ease the heat. The heat has disrupted daily life, including forcing the cancellation of a professional baseball game, amid broader warnings that climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and severe.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns that Tehran will respond decisively to any US attack on Iranian infrastructure after Donald Trump threatened to destroy a bridge or power plant for every Iranian strike on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say further US action could expand the war and lead Iran to target regional oil, gas, electricity and economic infrastructure. Houthi forces also claim attacks on two Saudi oil tankers, while Saudi Arabia threatens a firm response, raising concerns about wider disruption to energy supplies. Brent crude briefly exceeds $95 a barrel. The US conducts another round of strikes on Iran, Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles, and diplomatic efforts involving Israel, Lebanon and Europe continue. Separately, Washington signs a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that could permit domestic uranium enrichment, prompting concerns over safeguards and the inconsistency of enabling Saudi enrichment while targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The US military completed its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting aircraft hangars and drone-storage sites, while President Donald Trump threatened further action against the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the war has cost the US $37.5bn, with more than 500 US personnel wounded and 18 killed. Iran reported explosions and casualties across several provinces and warned that attacks on sensitive facilities would widen the regional war. Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping at the Bab el-Mandeb, prompting tankers to reroute and raising fears of disruption at two major maritime chokepoints. Brent crude rose above $92 a barrel, while US officials warned that the conflict could affect global trade and energy supplies. The US also said it would resume direct airline flights to Lebanon, where tensions continued between Israeli forces and the Lebanese army.

At least 188 people were killed, more than 1,500 injured and 157 reported missing after twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela's northern coast. La Guaira, Caracas and several nearby states suffered extensive destruction, with more than 100 buildings collapsing in La Guaira and rescue operations overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. Venezuela declared a state of emergency, while the United States pledged $150 million in aid and offered military logistical support. Mexico and Canada also promised assistance, Oxfam warned that the earthquakes would deepen conditions for the 7.9 million Venezuelans already needing humanitarian aid, and survivors described widespread panic, blocked roads, power outages and collapsed buildings.

A record-breaking heatwave swept Europe, with southern England reaching 35.8C—the highest June temperature ever recorded in the UK—and parts of France exceeding 40C. Extreme heat affected Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Scotland, prompting red or orange alerts, school closures and early dismissals, transport cancellations, workplace restrictions and power disruptions. The World Health Organization warned that rising European temperatures are increasing health risks, while vulnerable workers, people with medical conditions, children and pets faced particular difficulties. France’s heat also reduced nuclear-power output because of cooling-water constraints, and campaigners urged governments to maintain climate policies and reduce fossil-fuel dependence.

Indian authorities plan to recover the remains of the climber known as “Green Boots” from a cave near the summit of Mount Everest and transport them to Delhi. A tender document identifies him as Dorje Morup rather than Tsewang Paljor, the climber long believed to have been Green Boots, but gives no details about the verification. The recovery will require a highly experienced Sherpa team and is expected to be dangerous, costly and complicated by monsoon weather, though returning the body could provide closure for the family.

Stephen Ogilvie’s family said he was in stable condition after the Belfast knife attack and urged the public not to spread disinformation or use the incident to fuel hostility toward migrants. A second night of anti-migrant disorder in and around Belfast saw rioters throw bricks and petrol bombs, set fires and attack police, prompting the deployment of water cannon; an 18-year-old man was arrested over an attack on officers in Carrickfergus. Authorities said dozens of people had been forced from their homes, while similar racist violence was reported in Glasgow. Keir Starmer and other political leaders condemned the unrest, with debate focusing on immigration, online incitement, Elon Musk’s activity on X, border controls and the responses of Reform UK and Northern Irish parties.

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time since an 8 April ceasefire, raising fears that the conflict could return to full-scale regional war. Israel attacked targets in Iran, including a petrochemical complex and defense systems, after Iran launched missiles at northern Israel; the Iran-aligned Houthis also fired at Israel and threatened Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea. Donald Trump said he had urged Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate and claimed to control Israel’s war strategy, but Israel proceeded with further attacks, undermining ceasefire efforts. Iranian officials alleged that the strikes could not have occurred without US coordination, potentially damaging stalled peace talks. The escalation also caused oil prices to rise and Asian stocks to fall.

South Korea’s Kospi has surged 220% in 12 months to a record 8,880, driven largely by explosive AI-related demand for semiconductors. SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics have joined TSMC and other companies in the trillion-dollar valuation club, but the two South Korean chipmakers reportedly account for as much as 70% of the index’s growth. Analysts point to strong spending by major AI companies as support for the rally, while warning that the market remains unusually volatile and exposed to an AI spending slowdown, supply-chain disruptions and a potential boom-bust cycle.

US forces struck a military facility in Iran and downed Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iran to report a retaliatory attack on a US airbase in Kuwait and threats to shipping. Donald Trump said Iran was stalling negotiations and threatened further military action, including against Oman if it did not comply with US demands over the strait. At the same time, Israel intensified its campaign in southern Lebanon, striking hundreds of targets and issuing new evacuation warnings for Tyre amid clashes with Hezbollah. The escalation has put a US-brokered ceasefire under severe strain, while Iran insists Lebanon must be included in any agreement with Washington. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon, with thousands reported killed.

Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping is expected to focus on five contentious issues: persuading China to help de-escalate the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz; US arms sales and policy toward Taiwan; the intensifying US-China artificial-intelligence rivalry; tariffs, rare-earth supplies, aircraft and agricultural trade, and semiconductor restrictions; and China’s alleged role in supplying fentanyl precursors to Mexican cartels. Both leaders have expressed interest in avoiding conflict, but each has significant leverage, leaving the summit’s likely outcome uncertain.

Up to 150 passengers and crew from the hantavirus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius are being repatriated from Spain’s Canary Islands. The World Health Organization recommends 42 days of quarantine and active symptom monitoring, but countries are applying different measures: some are using hospital or biosafety isolation, while others are assessing whether home isolation is suitable. The US plans to evaluate evacuees at the University of Nebraska, while several Americans already home are being monitored by state health agencies. Three passengers have died, but health officials say the risk to the wider public remains low. The ship is expected to undergo rodent inspection, disinfection and pest-control measures.

The United States is awaiting Iran’s response to a proposed interim agreement intended to end the US-Israel conflict with Iran, while Donald Trump and Marco Rubio express hope that negotiations will advance. Qatar is urging renewed diplomacy, Russia is backing continued talks, and the US plans discussions between Israel and Lebanon on long-term border security. The ceasefire remains fragile as US forces strike Iranian-flagged tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran threatens retaliation, and Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon reportedly kill five people, while tensions over the waterway and sanctions on Iran-linked weapons suppliers push oil prices above $100 a barrel.

A week of stalled US-Iran ceasefire negotiations around the Strait of Hormuz escalated into a series of conflicting military and diplomatic developments. The Trump administration launched Project Freedom to help reopen maritime traffic, but paused it after Iranian warnings, Saudi opposition and claims of progress toward a peace memorandum. Despite repeated assertions that the ceasefire remained in effect, US and Iranian forces exchanged fire, while threats of renewed bombing and attacks on shipping kept oil prices volatile and left the negotiations unresolved.

The live coverage reports escalating US-Israeli military action against Iran alongside diplomatic efforts to end the war. Donald Trump said an agreement with Tehran was possible but threatened more intense bombing if Iran rejected a US proposal, while Iranian officials said they were reviewing the plan and accused Washington of seeking surrender. US forces disabled an Iranian-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman, and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipping, prompting Emmanuel Macron to call on all parties to lift their blockades. Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time since an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire began, reportedly killing senior Hezbollah commander Malek Ballout, while further strikes killed people elsewhere in Lebanon. The coverage also details Gulf-state tensions over US military operations, attacks involving UAE infrastructure and a CMA CGM vessel, and allegations that traders used confidential information to bet on war-related events through Polymarket.

The live blog reports escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz amid a fragile four-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. Donald Trump paused Project Freedom, the US effort to escort commercial vessels through the waterway, while maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports and citing progress toward a possible agreement. Marco Rubio said major offensive operations against Iran had ended and characterized continued US activity as defensive. A cargo vessel was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile, Iran warned ships to use approved routes, and the UAE reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones. The conflict continued to affect shipping and energy markets, with Brent crude near $108 a barrel and average US gasoline prices exceeding $4.50 per gallon for the first time since 2022. Hezbollah and Israel also exchanged fire despite a Lebanon-Israel ceasefire.

Donald Trump paused the US-led Project Freedom operation to guide stranded commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, saying the move would create time to finalize a settlement with Iran. He said the blockade of Iranian ports would continue. The announcement followed US claims that the waterway had been secured, although only two merchant ships were known to have crossed and hundreds remained stranded. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran must accept restrictions on its nuclear program and reopen the strait, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine said the ceasefire remained in place despite renewed attacks and limited clashes. Iran has not endorsed the US account and disputes claims about destroyed boats. The closure has disrupted oil and gas shipments, driven US gasoline prices above $4.50 a gallon and increased pressure on the Trump administration over war-powers authority and the economic fallout.

Edited security footage released by Washington’s top federal prosecutor shows accused gunman Cole Allen approaching a checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, though it does not conclusively establish that he fired at a Secret Service officer. Prosecutors say ballistic evidence and a spent shotgun cartridge support their claim that Allen fired first; his public defenders and a Washington Post analysis dispute that account. The live coverage also reports Congress’s 45-day extension of warrantless FISA surveillance powers, legislation ending the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, bipartisan and protester criticism of Pete Hegseth’s defense of the Iran war, and Donald Trump’s threats to reconsider US troop deployments in Spain, Italy and Germany.

Brent crude rose above $126 a barrel, its highest level since 2022, after Donald Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports could continue for months while talks with Tehran remained stalled. Iran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sharply reduced global oil flows, prompting fears of further price increases, inflation, higher interest rates and a worldwide recession. Prices later fell to about $114, but analysts warned that a prolonged blockade could create a severe stagflationary shock and push oil toward or beyond its 2008 record of $147 a barrel.