UK - Sir Keir Starmer has announced he will resign as Prime Minister. In an emotional resignation statement from Downing Street on Monday, Sir Keir said he would bow to pressure from Labour MPs with “good grace” and trigger a leadership contest. The election will take place this summer, allowing a new prime minister to be installed by September 1, he said. Addressing the media in front of No 10, Sir Keir listed his achievements in office and in opposition, where he said he “changed our party” by tackling anti-Semitism and “restoring trust in the economy, defence, and national security”. But he added: “I know the question being asked now is not: ‘Who was best placed to change the Labour Party to take us into power and to begin the vital work of improving lives for billions of people?’ Those questions have been answered. The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

MIDDLE EAST - Iran's senior envoys left talks in Switzerland on Monday after a marathon negotiating session with the United States, state media reported, as mediators claimed progress towards a definitive US-Iran deal. The host nation said conditions were set for technical talks to immediately follow, with the sides at the beginning of a 60-day period to secure a long-term settlement. Last week, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding laying the groundwork for the negotiations, after a 40-day war that was followed by weeks of an inconclusive and oft-breached ceasefire. Israeli leaders have expressed deep misgivings over the deal signed last week and have insisted that their troops will continue to occupy southern Lebanon and are free to respond to any threats there.

USA - Martin Daley and his girlfriend were walking along a forested footpath on the outskirts of Athens, Georgia one evening when they were approached by three young men. One of them stopped and asked the couple if they had any money. Daley immediately pulled out his wallet and handed the man everything he had, which was about 20 dollars. The men continued on their way, but Daley realized the situation could have been much worse. “We were absolutely defenseless and those guys could have done anything they wanted,” Daley said. “It was then that I realized I needed to acquire a firearm for my protection.” Georgia is one of twenty-nine US states that have constitutional (or permitless) carry laws. In these states, individuals who can legally own a firearm are allowed to carry them, either openly or concealed, without needing a government-issued permit or license. The following day, Daley, having gone through a brief background check at a local gun store, was the proud owner of a .45 Colt M1911, an iconic firearm that set him back about $2,000.

UK - The Met Office has issued a rare red alert for extreme heat in central and southern England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday as temperatures are expected to reach 38C. An “exceptional spell of hot and humid weather” is expected in this region which could cause “serious illness or danger to life”, the weather forecaster warned. The effects of the heat are “not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat” and “substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required”. There is also a “high risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment”, including water, electricity, gas or mobile phone services. This is only the second time a red warning for extreme heat has ever been issued, and the first time it has included Wales. The last warning was in July 2022 when temperatures climbed to 40C.

USA - Just because something sounds Christian doesn’t mean it necessarily is. Sometimes demonic forces masquerade as light and lurk unnoticed among believers. Rick Burgess warns Christians against a “spiritual counterfeit” that has already taken root in many modern churches: the Passion Translation. The Passion Translation is a modern English paraphrase of the Bible created by former missionary Brian Simmons starting around 2012, with completion plans set for 2029. It aims to convey the "fiery passion" and emotional heart of God through dynamic, readable, heart-level language. Rick argues that it is a dangerous pitfall.

USA - “World’s Greatest Dad” is much more than a t-shirt or coffee mug slogan this Father’s Day. A poll from Napolitan News shows that close to three-quarters of voters view fatherhood as the role of a lifetime. According to the poll, 73% of voters believe that being a father tops all other roles in a man’s life. “This deep respect for fatherhood has remained steady over the past several years,” the poll said. In addition, a majority of voters (61%) say they will celebrate Father’s Day this weekend. The traditional family unit also received accolades. “An overwhelming 88% of voters say it is important for children to be raised in a household with both their mother and their father present,” the poll said. Voters also associated father absence with a higher likelihood of economic and legal hurdles later in life. According to the survey, 46% of voters believe kids raised without a father are more likely to live in poverty, while 38% believe a father’s absence makes children more likely to end up in jail.

USA - For the second time in five years the US has suffered a self-inflicted strategic calamity. In the summer of 2021, Joe Biden led a hasty, treacherous and bloody withdrawal from Afghanistan that handed control of the country back to an enemy regime and ended America’s longest war in ignominy and retreat. This week, Donald Trump ended one of America’s shortest wars with a deal that leaves an enemy regime in place in Iran, emboldened by its own survival, entrenched in defiance of the civilised world and even potentially enriched by the promise of boatloads of money to help rebuild its battered economy and war-making infrastructure. Trump, the man who promised to keep the US out of “dumb wars”, has joined the long list of American presidents lured by the promise of history-making opportunity in the Greater Middle East who ended up undone by a familiar combination of hubris and miscalculation. Six months after the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Vladimir Putin seized on the demonstration of American failure and the retreat it represented to invade Ukraine. Who may be tempted this time to roll the dice by another demonstration of a war America failed to win?

IRAN - Hassan Khomeini, a grandson of the first Iranian supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, has hailed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran as a major “victory” for Tehran. The “greater jihad” would now begin, he promised, according to a speech aired by Iranian state media earlier this week. The “greater jihad” is a term often used to refer to the internal, spiritual struggle, while the “lesser jihad” refers to armed conflict. It was unclear which disputes he was referring to, but the regime has struggled to suppress growing domestic dissent, most visibly during the January demonstrations that erupted over worsening economic conditions.

USA - Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran is a political debacle for the United States, as seriously wrong as Washington’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, and likely worse. While much lies ahead, Trump and his deputy JD Vance are showing no recognition of the damage already done, or any inclination to staunch further losses. This wound is totally self-inflicted. Trump claims the deal avoids economic catastrophe, but its plain purpose is to save the president politically from his own errors. The MOU even leaves dangerously unclear whether Iran will allow unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. It says “future administration and maritime services” are to be negotiated. But as we’ve seen this weekend with Iran’s closure of the Strait over alleged “ceasefire violations” by Israel, the regime still holds – and will continue to hold – the whip hand.

USA - US President Donald Trump arrived at the Group of Seven summit in France this week with a new US-Iran agreement to sell, a restless Israeli ally to discipline, and a familiar message for the world: He alone had done what others would not. The sharpest remarks were aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose latest strikes in Lebanon angered Washington just as Trump was trying to lock down an agreement with Tehran. Speaking in Évian-les-Bains, Trump said Netanyahu “has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” calling the Beirut strike “vicious” and “too much.” For Israel, the week exposed an uncomfortable reality. Trump remains popular, powerful, and rhetorically committed to Israel’s survival. But his support now comes with public scolding, transactional accounting, and an unmistakable demand that Netanyahu not interfere with the deal Trump wants to call his own.