Iran began funeral processions for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in February, Qatar reported "positive progress" in indirect U.S.-Iran talks,and Iran and Oman pursued new Strait of Hormuz transit fees despite U.S. objections,with Tehran declaring that the waterway remains under its "command," leaving a key point of disagreement unresolved.This comes as Israel said its troops would remain in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza indefinitely, signaling an extended military presence, a bomb explosion at a cafe in Damascus killed six people and wounded 22 others in one of Syria's deadliest recent attacks,Sudan's Rapid Support Forces was accused of committing genocide in its operation to seize the city of El Fasher,and the U.S. withdrew combat troops from Nigeria, marking a shift in its military posture.Elsewhere, at least 17 people were killed in Kyiv as Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging strikes, Moscow claimed to have captured the Donetsk city of Kostyantynivka, marking an asserted advance in Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine,outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a £15 billion increase in defense spending to strengthen the country's military capabilities,and the U.K. canceled its planned Type 83 warship program and instead ordered six new combat vessels.Meanwhile, Canada reportedly prepared to announce a new 10-nation global defense bank to support allied security investments, Australia and Vanuatu signed the Nakamal security pact, deepening regional defense cooperation,and Papuan separatists claimed responsibility for fatally shooting a U.S. pilot and setting his plane on fire in Indonesia.

The U.S. declined to renew the $2 trillion USMCA trade agreement, creating uncertainty over North American trade relations,U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to support Libyan unity efforts,and Israel's Knesset advanced a bill to enshrine Torah study as a foundational state value.Meanwhile, Russia and Rwanda signed an agreement to develop a small modular nuclear reactor, Moscow suspended rail crossings with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, increasing transport restrictions with neighboring countries, India and Japan signed several pacts on AI, metals and energy,and British MP Andy Burnham delivered his first policy speech as a Labour leadership contender.This comes as Syria finalized its first post-Assad parliament under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Keiko Fujimori narrowly won Peru's presidential election after a closely contested vote, South Korea confirmed Han Seong-sook as prime minister, making her the second woman to assume the role,and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said the government blocked her from returning home, escalating political tensions.In other news, South Africa arrested hundreds of people during nationwide anti-immigration protests, Ghana faced an ECOWAS lawsuit over its agreement to accept U.S. deportees, the U.S. designated Ecuador's "Chone Killers" gang as a terrorist organization, expanding sanctions against the organized group,and Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Bolívar Cepeda threatened civil disobedience over President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella's U.S. citizenship.

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) upheld birthright citizenship, preserving the longstanding constitutional interpretation,as it also backed the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, maintaining current election procedures,and struck down limits on political party spending to expand campaign finance freedoms,and House Republicans canceled multiple legislative votes over disagreements about voter ID laws.Meanwhile, Democratic socialist Melat Kiros won Colorado's House Democratic primary, defeating 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette,Rep. Tom Kean Jr. disclosed his depression diagnosis after returning to Congress,and a court lifted an order requiring the Trump administration to reinstall dozens of exhibits removed from national parks.This comes as acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte was authorized to declassify "almost everything" following direction from President Donald Trump, the CIA moved to declassify newly discovered MKUltra files, expanding public access to historical records,and Trump reported earning more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency income in his 2025 financial disclosure, highlighting the scale of his digital asset holdings.In other news, Americans celebrated the country's 250th anniversary of independence amid heatwaves across the nation that disrupted several key events,and a poll found that 46% of Americans were unaware of the meaning of Independence Day, highlighting gaps in civic knowledge.

SCOTUS upheld state laws barring transgender athletes from female sports, allowing the restrictions to remain in effect, an LGBTQ+ cruise ship was barred from docking in Turkey due to "incompatibilities" with its "moral values,"and Russia jailed three nightclub staff in the first prosecution under its LGBTQ+ ban.Meanwhile, France's National Assembly approved an assisted dying bill, advancing end-of-life legislation,and China's new Ethnic Unity Law officially came into force, introducing updated national integration policies.Elsewhere, India asked WhatsApp to pause the rollout of its upcoming username feature, which would allow users to connect via unique usernames instead of sharing phone numbers,and New Delhi reportedly considered new regulations for virtual private networks, expanding its oversight of online privacy tools.

Six people were killed in a shooting at a German youth facility, a Ukrainian national was charged in Germany over the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attacks, three Ukrainians were injured in a bomb attack in Monaco,and fugitive Chinese billionaire Miles Guo was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. prison for a $1 billion fraud scheme.Meanwhile, SCOTUS declined to hear Trump's appeal in the E. Jean Carroll case, leaving a lower court judgment intact, the FBI determined that the ransom notes in the Nancy Guthrie case were fabricated after depositing cryptocurrency into the account specified in one of the letters, a coalition of NGOs accused Meta of hosting the world's largest illegal wildlife marketplace, calling for stronger enforcement against the practice,and two trespassers climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, prompting an emergency response.This comes as the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang was released from a U.K. prison, with his deportation back to Pakistan restricted under the Immigration Act 1971, British authorities arrested eight people amid a probe into organized drug-facilitated sexual assault networks,and the U.K. formally repealed the Vagrancy Act, ending legislation dating back to the 19th century that made rough sleeping and begging criminal offenses.

The EU's Court of Justice upheld a $4.7 billion antitrust fine against Google, affirming one of the bloc's largest competition penalties, Comcast announced plans to split into two independent publicly traded companies, with the separation expected to be completed in approximately one year,and the U.K. considered blocking Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. — a deal already approved by the U.S., China, Australia, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. added 57,000 jobs in June, falling short of economists' forecasts of around 110,000,and Russian economic pessimism reached its highest level in two decades, reflecting growing concern over the country's outlook.Meanwhile, Germany's coalition government agreed on a sweeping package of economic reforms after months of internal deadlock,and the EU approved a 3 duty on low-value imported parcels, citing concerns over unfair competition, safety risks, and potential environmental harms.

A clinical trial of Ebola treatments began in the Democratic Republic of Congo, seeking improved therapies for the disease, a patient in Glasgow tested negative for Ebola, easing concerns over a possible case,and the World Health Organization declared the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak over, bringing an end to the international health response.Meanwhile, more than 1 million children in England sought mental health support in 2024-25, an almost 10% increase from the year prior, a study found that screen time before age two may pose long-term health risks, reinforcing recommendations to limit early exposure,and researchers found that Antarctic sea squirts may help support future melanoma treatments, identifying a potential medical lead.

The death toll from Venezuela's recent twin quakes neared 3,000 amid ongoing rescue operations that saw a three-year-old child saved after spending six days trappedand a man pulled out alive from the rubble following eight days of confinement. Elsewhere, wildfires in Greece killed two people and triggered widespread evacuation orders, England recorded its hottest June on record amid persistent high temperatures,and a report found that the world's oceans experienced their hottest June ever recorded, surpassing the previous high set in 2024.

OpenAI reportedly considered offering the U.S. government a 5% ownership stake amid ongoing discussions on AI governance, the U.S. lifted export controls on Anthropic's Claude AI systems, easing restrictions on the technology,and chip stocks posted their strongest first half of the year ever, driven by continued AI demand.Meanwhile, the U.K. issued new guidance advising parents to avoid posting photos of their children publicly over concerns of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Mark Zuckerberg said AI agents were advancing more slowly than expected, tempering expectations for the technology's immediate impact,and the Bank of England warned that AI agents could trigger market meltdowns as it explored kill switches to limit trading in such scenarios.This comes as South Korea unveiled a $576 billion investment plan for semiconductors and artificial intelligence, seeking to strengthen its technology sector, Ford reportedly rehired veteran engineers after AI-only quality control measures proved insufficient,and British American Tobacco announced 9,000 job cuts as part of an AI-driven restructuring plan.

A fossil collected in 1985 was confirmed as the first dinosaur bone ever discovered in Antarctica, providing new insight into the continent's prehistoric past, the New England Journal of Medicine retracted a study on Amgen's Tavneos over concerns about the credibility of its data,and scientists created the first synthetic cell built entirely from scratch to complete a full life cycle.

The White House selected Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb to lead its UAP council, overseeing investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena, NASA launched a mission to rescue a failing space telescope in an attempt to extend the life of the observatory,and NASA's TESS mission discovered a distant planet using microlensing, expanding the catalog of known exoplanets.

Four people died in Mexico City during celebrations following the country's World Cup victory against Ecuador,and LeBron James announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, ending an eight-year tenure with the franchise.

A CSX freight train derailed in Pennsylvania, with no injuries reported.

The Vatican excommunicated all members of a traditionalist breakaway sect after it consecrated four new bishops.