EU-Australia trade deal, Mullin DHS confirmation and Claude control updates

Pakistan offers to host peace talks to end the Iran war, Australia and the EU reach a free trade agreement after eight years of talks, Russia and Vietnam sign a deal to build a nuclear plant, Hong Kong expands its national security law powers, Markwayne Mullin is confirmed as DHS secretary, the U.S. Senate reportedly nears a potential agreement to end the DHS shutdown, Pakistan is named the world's most polluted country in 2025, former Google executive Matt Brittin is reportedly set to become the BBC's new director-general, Melania Trump hosts a global summit on kids' education and AI, and Anthropic's Claude is updated with new computer control capabilities. Sources: Verity.News

President Trump pauses strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, Jewish ambulances are set on fire in a London attack, Mali frees 100 jihadists to end a fuel convoy blockade, The party of Prime Minister Robert Golob narrowly wins in Slovenia's parliamentary elections, Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire wins the Paris mayoral election, Cuba's electrical grid collapses again, A deadly plane accident takes place at LaGuardia Airport, ICE agents are assigned to airports amid deepening travel delays, Robert Mueller, Ex-FBI Director, dies at 81, 'Kona' storms trigger Hawaii's worst floods in 20 years, and A new dinosaur species is discovered in South Korea. Sources: Verity.News

Iran claims its first-ever strike on a U.S. F-35, Delcy Rodriguez overhauls Venezuela's cabinet and military leadership, A report claims that Denmark deployed troops with runway explosives to Greenland amid U.S. tensions, Tunisian anti-racism Activist Saadia Mosbah is sentenced to eight years in prison, The White House unveils its first national AI framework, A judge rules that RFK Jr. overstepped on a trans youth care declaration, Executives are charged in an alleged $2.5 billion AI server scheme involving China, Category 4 Cyclone Narelle makes landfall in Queensland, Australia, Chuck Norris, actor and martial artist, dies at 86, and CBS will shutter its news radio service after nearly a century. Sources: Verity.News

Trump meets with Japan's Takaichi at the White House, as he threatens to 'massively blow up' the world's largest gas field, Pakistan and Afghanistan declare a temporary ceasefire, Venezuela replaces its defense minister, the U.S. Fed holds rates steady, Iran executes three convicted protesters and an alleged Mossad spy, an Alberta bill tightens the limits on medically assisted dying, the U.S. loses its status as a liberal democracy in an annual index, the White House registers two new government domains related to extraterrestrial life, and the world's longest coastal path opens in the U.K. Sources: Verity.News

Israel kills another top Iranian official, Tensions mount between Ecuador and Colombia over an alleged cross-border bombing, A crewless drone-hit Russian tanker is adrift in the Mediterranean, An ex-Belgian diplomat will face trial in the murder trial of Patrice Lumumba, Congo's first prime minister, Scotland rejects an assisted dying bill, Key primary results roll in from Illinois, Markwayne Mullin faces a Dept. of Homeland Security confirmation hearing, The jury deliberates in the Musk Twitter fraud trial, Amazon launches 1-hour delivery across the U.S., and scientists discover a new "double-charm" quark particle. Sources: Verity.News

Top U.S. intelligence chief Joe Kent resigns over the Iran war, senior Iranian official Ali Larijani is killed in overnight strikes, Trump delays his scheduled trip to Beijing, Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of killing 400 in an airstrike on a Kabul hospital, Trump says Washington "will be doing something with Cuba very soon," U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino retires, a Chinese rival to Amazon launches in the U.K., a U.S. judge blocks planned changes to the national childhood vaccine schedule, Sri Lanka adopts a four-day workweek to save fuel, and a study predicts that inactivity due to rising heat will cause up to 700,000 additional premature deaths by 2050. Sources: Verity.News

A drone hits Dubai Airport as Trump seeks a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz, Cuba reports an island-wide power outage following weekend protests, Republic of Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso seeks a fifth term in the presidential election, A former Chevron executive reportedly advised the CIA before Maduro’s capture, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is diagnosed with breast cancer, Tucker Carlson claims the U.S. government is eyeing him over Iran texts, The FCC chair faces bipartisan backlash over threats related to Iran war coverage, China resumes military flights near Taiwan, Twelve people are arrested amid London Al-Quds Day protests, and a study finds 72% of UK babies get daily screen time. Sources: Verity.News

Pete Hegseth makes claims about Mojtaba Khamenei amid reports of major deployments, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft crashes in Iraq, the U.S. temporarily eases Russian oil sanctions, Poland vetoes €44B in EU defense loan access, the FBI opens its first Ecuador office as Quito prepares for a major offensive on criminal groups, Eswatini receives its third batch of deportees from the U.S., 85-year old Rep. Jim Clyburn is running his 18th term in U.S. Congress, Canada tables a bill on digital access powers, Qantas pays AU$105M to settle a COVID flight lawsuit, and a genomic study proposes rewriting shark evolutionary history. Sources: Verity.News

Iran’s new supreme leader vows revenge in his first message since his appointment, The U.S. launches trade probes into 16 economies, The U.S. Senate fails to advance a DHS funding proposal, Oil surges past $100 a barrel, A suspect is left dead after ramming a car into a Michigan synagogue, Three brothers are arrested in Oslo in connection to a U.S. Embassy bombing, China approves an 'ethnic unity' law, Floods and landslides kill dozens in Ethiopia, A report warns of growing AI-driven surveillance systems across Africa, and a Naples museum announces a project to allow visually impaired visitors to experience its artworks through touch.  Sources: Verity.News

Military attacks escalate in the Strait of Hormuz, 32 countries will release a record 400 million barrels of oil amid the simmering Iran war, Ghana, and South Korea strengthen ties during a state visit, Six are dead in a reportedly "deliberate" bus fire in Switzerland, The U.K. ends hereditary peers' rights to sit in the House of Lords, The trial begins for the alleged assassins of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, A report suggests that the White House is advising the GOP to avoid "mass deportation" rhetoric, The U.S. Senate confirms that General Rudd will lead Cyber Command and the NSA, The U.S. election in Georgia's 14th district heads to a runoff, and Bam Adebayo scores 83 points in a game - the second-most in NBA history. Sources: Verity.News