Today's Newsletter

• The Daily Mirror reports that the all-party parliamentary group on counter-extremism have called for the government to consider further anti-extremism measures. MPs called for a specialist unit to be set up inside the Cabinet Office to co-ordinate counter extremism measures across government departments and to clampdown on "lawful but harmful" content online. The APPG report said: "The government’s announcement of a new State Threats Designation Power and the proposed Tackling State Threats Bill, announced in the King’s Speech, will help disrupt and deter foreign state and proxy organisations in carrying out hostile activity against the UK - this is welcome, but equally robust action is needed against domestic extremist actors who continue to be given a green light to operate." Read more.

• A statutory inquiry into Grooming Gangs will initially focus on London, Bradford and Oldham. it was widely reported. The £65 million inquiry headed by Baroness Longfield will investigate how children were targeted and exploited, how institutions and other agencies responded, and whether they failed to act because of concerns around the ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds of the perpetrators behind the grooming gangs. The inquiry is scheduled to start by the end of 2026. Read more.

• Daily Telegraph reports that its incoming owner has warned that waves of hatred against Jewish people have become a “global export” since the 07 October 2023 attacks. Speaking on Wednesday, Mathias Döpfner told the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London that Hamas’s actions in Israel had fuelled a wave of “new antisemitism,” particularly in younger age groups. The Community Security Trust reported 3,700 anti-Jewish hate incidents in the UK last year, marking a 4% increase and the second-highest annual total recorded. Read more.

• The director general of Australia's intelligence service has claimed that a citizen working as a senior intelligence officer for Iran “orchestrated” a firebombing in Bondi, multiple sources report. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's Mike Burgess said in a wide-ranging speech that "Our degrading security environment is characterised by concurrent, cascading and compounding threats” originating from homegrown extremists, foreign regimes targeting and harassing citizens and permanent residents, spies chasing critical details about the Aukus deal, and nation-states infiltrating critical infrastructure providers. Read more.

• Associated Press reports that an airstrike in Syria has reportedly killed a senior member of Daesh. U.S. Central Command said that Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi was killed last Friday as part of American efforts to ‘’disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland." CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper continued: "CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat." Read more.

• The Philippines has temporarily blocked a gaming app after it found during an investigation that a teenage suspect in a school shooting had been playing the game, BBC News reports. Police said the 14-year-old was a player of Gorebox, a game where players can "engage in brutal combat with an extensive arsenal of weapons and explosives," prior to an attack in Tacloban, south-east of Manila which killed three students and wounded 20 others. The country's cyber-security agency said: "We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident." Read more.

Israel, Lebanon discuss US-backed proposal for transfer of some southern territory to Lebanese army

(£) Reuters, 24/06/2026

Talks between Israel and Lebanon include discussion of a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to hand over ​some of the territory they have invaded during the war with ‌Hizballah to the Lebanese military, according to Israeli and Lebanese officials. The Israeli officials said the Lebanese troops involved would undergo U.S. training and vetting to ensure they are not linked to ​Iran-backed Hizballah, while Israel would maintain a military presence in a buffer ​zone along the border. The proposed "pilot" project is being discussed in the ⁠latest round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials, which got underway in ​Washington on Tuesday. Rejected by Hizballah, this diplomatic track has been overshadowed as Tehran has ​made Lebanon a focal point of its negotiations with the U.S.

Israel says IDF is staying in southern Lebanon, undermining Iran peace talks

The Guardian, 24/06/2026

The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has said that Israeli troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, further complicating Iran peace talks as fighting in Lebanon continues to be an obstacle to permanent peace. Speaking on stage in an interview in Tel Aviv, Katz said Israeli troops would remain in south Lebanon – echoing sentiments from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. “The IDF is prepared … and we are not retreating. We announced that in any case we are not withdrawing, and as of this moment – and this is a political achievement – there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,” Katz said. The US and Iran signed an accord last week extending a fragile ceasefire and setting the stage for 60 days of talks meant to lead to a permanent peace.

Also: (£) Reuters

Iran boasts Trump's war deal is 'America's declaration of defeat' after Donald rages at US Senate's 'meaningless' vote demanding an end to the conflict

Daily Mail, 24/06/2026

Iran has boasted that the deal it is signing with the US to end the Middle East war is 'America's declaration of defeat.' Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team and the speaker of Iran's parliament, made the bold claim this morning at a conference in Azerbaijan that was broadcast on Iranian TV. He said: 'The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation.' 'That is why, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America's defeat,' he said, adding that security in the Middle East must be ensured by the countries of the region.

'Pragmatists' vs 'hardliners': Is Iran split over US deal?

AFP, 24/06/2026

Factional divisions and opposition to talks with the United States exist within the Iranian hierarchy, but such splits will not suffice on their own to derail the negotiating process, analysts say. After five weeks of war paused by an April ceasefire and ended by an accord this month, US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held talks in Switzerland mediated by Qatar and Pakistan to begin a process in search of a final agreement. Yet the path remains tortuous, with Iran aware of the leverage it can exert over the global economy through control of the Strait of Hormuz and President Donald Trump threatening new military action if talks fail.

Lebanese on the edge of Israel’s occupation live with fear and rising tensions

Associated Press, 24/06/2026

Looking out from a friend’s balcony, Milia el-Cheikh struggled to find her own home in the ruins of her now-deserted village, its entrances strung with barbed wire. Her village of Dibbine is one of several Shiite-majority communities across southern Lebanon destroyed by Israeli forces battling the Iran-backed Shiite Hizballah. Israel has occupied vast areas and fighting has raged through declared ceasefires. The latest truce — part of the interim peace deal between the United States and Iran — has largely held. El-Cheikh, one of the few Christians from Dibbine, found shelter in another village but regularly visits Jdeidat Marjayoun, a mostly Christian village next to her hometown, to have coffee with a friend from church.

US-Iran deal may leave Netanyahu as biggest casualty

(£) Reuters, 24/06/2026

The biggest casualty of the U.S.-Iran deal may not be Israel's Iran strategy, but the political brand Benjamin Netanyahu spent decades constructing as the Israeli leader who could uniquely bend Washington to his will on Iran, analysts, former U.S. officials and diplomats say. Netanyahu built his political ​identity on an audacious assertion: that he alone could keep the U.S. and Israel in strategic lockstep on Iran. Cultivating Republican support, he cast himself as the only Israeli leader capable of influencing successive U.S. presidents insisted that only sustained military pressure could contain Tehran. At the height of his power, he was described by diplomats as the "American whisperer" — the Israeli leader who could pick up the phone and ensure Washington’s strategic calculus aligned with that of Israel.

Australia-style extremism laws should be considered in UK, MPs demand

Daily Mirror, 24/06/2026

The UK should consider following Australia's lead with tough new laws to tackle extremism, MPs including a former Labour chair have demanded. Ministers have been urged to look at Australia's response to the antisemitic Bondi beach attack, which claimed 15 innocent lives in December. Measures put forward Down Under include creating an aggravated hate speech offence for preachers and leaders, increased penalties for promoting violence and greater powers for courts to tackle online harassment. A report by the all-party group (APPG) on counter extremism, seen by The Mirror, said dangerous radicals are currently given a "green light" to operate. It said a whole-of-society approach is needed to counter them, and that the government must be more ambitious in getting local communities to step up.

Young people behind global anti-Semitism surge, says Dopfner

(£) Daily Telegraph, 24/06/2026

Antisemitism fuelled by young people is sweeping the world, Mathias Döpfner has warned. The German media executive said waves of hatred against Jewish people had become a “global export” in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Mr Döpfner is the chief executive and controlling shareholder of the German news publisher Axel Springer, the incoming owner of The Telegraph. Antisemitic hate crimes and terror attacks have increased in the West following the Oct 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel. They include the Manchester synagogue attack in October last year, in which two Jewish men were killed, and the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney in December 2025, when 15 people were killed by two gunmen.

Trial set for woman, 63, on terrorism charges

BBC News, 24/06/2026

A trial date has been set after a 63-year-old woman denied a number of terrorism charges. Sarah Wilkinson from Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, is accused of two counts of encouragement of terrorism on social media, two counts of expressing an opinion or belief that was supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas; and one of failing to comply with a police investigation. Appearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday she denied all charges, and two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication by sharing videos on her X account. Wilkinson was told she would return to the same court for a trial, starting on 4 January.

The Guardian view on Islamophobia: political rhetoric is fuelling hate crime

The Guardian, 24/06/2026

Editorial team writes: “Muslims in the UK, Europe and the US are increasingly fearful and frustrated as targeted attacks rise. Others must speak out.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Britain must engage again with the Taliban

(£) Daily Telegraph, 24/06/2026

Tobias Ellwood writes: “We can continue to leave Afghanistan isolated and neglected, or we could do the decent thing and reach out to the country’s leadership.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Grooming inquiry to investigate London gangs first

(£) Daily Telegraph, 24/06/2026

London, Bradford and Oldham will be the first three areas subject to public inquiries into grooming gang scandals. The statutory inquiry, headed by Baroness Longfield, a former children’s commissioner, announced that the inquiries, to investigate how children were targeted and exploited, would start by the end of the year. They will also investigate how institutions including police, councils and other agencies responded and whether they failed to act because of concerns around the ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds of the perpetrators behind the grooming gangs. Any police officers or council officials suspected of deliberately covering up the abuse could face investigation by the National Crime Agency under a tandem police investigation.

Also: BBC News, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, The Guardian, ITV News, London Evening Standard, PA Media, The Sun, (£) The Times. (£) Yorkshire Post

Top Australian TV star to leave job after Tommy Robinson interview, reports say

BBC News, 24/06/2026

One of Australia's biggest TV presenters, Karl Stefanovic, will reportedly leave his job amid backlash over his podcast project after an interview with British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Stefanovic became a household name as the long-time host of breakfast programme Today, but local media say Nine Entertainment is negotiating his exit from the network. For years Australia's highest-paid news presenter, Stefanovic in January launched his own independently produced podcast in which he sat down with a string of controversial figures. This week's interview with Yaxley-Lennon was pulled offline within hours as viewer and advertiser fallout grew in Australia.

Also: Daily Mail

Police took eight minutes to find Henry Nowak’s stab wound

(£) Daily Telegraph, 24/06/2026

Police officers took eight minutes to discover the stab wound that killed Henry Nowak, a transcript of the incident has revealed. The new evidence – released by the BBC with no objections from Mr Nowak’s family – reveals the panic of the officers as they realise he has stopped breathing and then start trying to save his life. Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years after killing Mr Nowak, an 18-year-old university student who was walking home alone after a night out with friends in Southampton on Dec 3. The case triggered accusations of two-tier policing after Mr Nowak was handcuffed by police as he lay dying because Digwa, who is Sikh, lied about being racially abused by the teenager.

Southbank chief in anti-Semitism row to stand down a year early

(£) Daily Telegraph, 24/06/2026

The chairman of the Southbank Centre in London has announced that he will step down almost a year early. Misan Harriman, 48, has been embroiled in controversy over remarks he made online, reported by The Telegraph, including a claim that news outlets had omitted a Muslim victim from coverage of attacks in Golders Green, north London. He was also accused of comparing Reform UK’s local election success with the Holocaust. The Charity Commission and Arts Council England are reviewing allegations that Mr Harriman shared antisemitic posts. Although chairmen can serve a maximum of nine years, Mr Harriman announced on Tuesday that he would step down this autumn, having served for just over five.

Also: The Guardian

Warning conversion therapy hasn’t gone away in UK as LGBTQ people threatened with violence

(£) The Independent, 25/06/2026

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have been threatened with rape, beaten, locked in rooms and subjected to forced exorcisms as an anti-abuse charity warns that conversion therapy remains prevalent. A major new report has uncovered 195 cases in the UK between 2022 and 2025, with representative data from Galop and YouGov finding that nearly one in five (18 per cent) LGBTQ+ people in the UK have been subjected to conversion practices. One person who turned to Galop’s helpline was beaten “regularly for being gay” and lost a finger due to an infection stemming from the physical abuse, while another was “beaten, locked in rooms and made to stay in his own filth as a way to change his sexuality”.

Irish government failure to pass files to legacy body `extremely frustrating´

PA Media, 24/06/2026

The ongoing failure of the Irish authorities to engage with a commission for investigating unsolved Troubles murders has left bereaved families incredibly frustrated, its chief commissioner has said. Sir Declan Morgan said the stance of the Irish government was also the source of extreme frustration among staff working within the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The chief commissioner was giving evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster on issues related to the body’s work.

Philippines bans Gorebox gaming app after high school shooting

BBC News, 24/06/2026

The Philippines has temporarily blocked gaming app Gorebox after an initial investigation found that a teenage suspect in a rare school shooting had been playing the game. Three students were killed and 20 others wounded after two suspects - aged 15 and 14 - allegedly fired handguns inside a classroom in Tacloban, south-east of Manila, on Monday. Police said the 14-year-old was a player of Gorebox, a game where players can "obliterate anything [they] desire" and "engage in brutal combat with an extensive arsenal of weapons and explosives", according to its Google Play listing. "We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident," the country's cyber-security agency said.

Also: The Guardian

'Bad actors': Grindr execs speak out after gay bashings

Australian Associated Press, 25/06/2026

The world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people is being misused by "bad actors" but says it actively works with Australian police to prevent hate crimes, an inquiry has heard. Joe Hack, Grindr's head of global government affairs, told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into anti-LGBTIQA+ hate crimes the highest priority for the app was the safety and wellbeing of its users. Victoria Police had identified that Grindr was the main app used to facilitate hate crimes, the inquiry chaired by Victorian Liberal MP Joe McCracken heard in Melbourne on Thursday. "Like any online platform, there are instances where bad actors attempt to misuse our features, potentially putting users at risk," Mr Hack told the committee from Washington DC."

Senior Islamic State leader killed by US airstrike on northwest Syria

Associated Press, 24/06/2026

An airstrike on north-west Syria last week killed a senior member of the Daesh group, the U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday. Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi was killed on Friday as part of ongoing U.S. efforts to ‘’disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland,” a CENTCOM statement said. Syrian activists had initially reported that an airstrike on a motorcycle near the village of Deir Hassan close to the border with Turkey had killed one person. It was not immediately clear at the time who had been targeted in the airstrike. Despite its defeat in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells linked to Daesh remain active and have been claiming attacks against the country’s new authorities following the December 2024 fall of the five-decade Assad family rule.

Also: (£) Reuters

Final 'ISIS bride' to return despite security concerns

Australian Associated Press, 24/06/2026

A woman with links to Daesh who was banned from entering Australia over potential national security risks will now be allowed to return home from Syria. The woman, who is an Australian citizen and the last of alleged female Daesh supporters stranded overseas, will be subject to intensive monitoring when she enters the country. A temporary exclusion order had previously been imposed on the woman because of concerns she would pose a significant security risk, but Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government has now issued a permit for her and her child to return home.  "The temporary exclusion order applies until a permit is issued, and when a permit is requested, a permit lawfully has to be issued," he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

Also: AFP, Daily Mail, The Guardian

Pakistani rights activist Mahrang Baloch sentenced to life in prison

(£) Reuters, 24/06/2026

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced prominent civil rights activist Mahrang Baloch and an associate to life in prison over the killing of a paramilitary soldier during a July 2024 protest. Baloch's lawyer said he ​would appeal against the verdict. Baloch, who has been detained since March 2025, has been a ​vocal opponent of enforced disappearances and alleged human rights violations in Pakistan's ⁠southwestern Balochistan province, where ethnic separatists have waged a decades-long insurgency. Human rights activists have criticised ​the trial, in which the accused were asked to appear via video link from prison ​but instead boycotted proceedings. They said the life sentences against Baloch and Sibghatullah, another leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) advocacy group, could further erode trust in the state.

Also: AFP

This woman fought for her disappeared father - now she faces life in jail

BBC News, 24/06/2026

When Dr Mahrang Baloch was a teenager, she joined hundreds of families across Pakistan's south-western province of Balochistan to search for her father, who was allegedly arrested by security forces and later killed. Years on, the doctor-turned-activist became one of the most recognisable faces of a movement demanding answers about enforced disappearances in the province. Now, she faces life behind bars. A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced Mahrang and fellow activist Sibghatullah Shah to life imprisonment on Monday after convicting them of terrorism, sedition and murder in connection with the death of a paramilitary soldier during a protest in the town of Gwadar in 2024. The pair deny the charges and are expected to appeal.

Israeli former leaders and security chiefs threaten legal action over ‘Jewish terrorism’

The Guardian, 24/06/2026

Dozens of Israelis from the country’s security, political and cultural elite have threatened legal action against their government over support for Jewish terrorism and an “ideology of ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank, according to a leaked letter. Two former prime ministers, former heads of all the Israeli security services, former judges, a Nobel laureate and the country’s most revered living novelist were among the signatories to a “final warning” over violence against Palestinians. They demanded immediate action to “eradicate Jewish terrorism”, cataloguing years of attacks – including murder, sexual assault, theft, arson and desecration of the dead – by civilian and military perpetrators who acted with “almost complete impunity”.

World court judges sue Trump administration over sanctions

(£) Reuters, 24/06/2026

Three International Criminal Court judges on Wednesday sued U.S. President Donald Trump and ​his administration over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful. In the lawsuit in the federal court in Manhattan, judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin said the sanctions were designed to exert extrajudicial pressure with the objective of punishing and coercing the judges. The State and Treasury ​departments and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Denmark plans to ban Islamic call to prayer: 'Shouldn't sound like a suburb of Islamabad'

Daily Mail, 24/06/2026

Denmark is planning to ban the Islamic call to prayer, with the country's immigration minister claiming parts of the nation risk sounding like 'a suburb of Islamabad'. Morten Bødskov said the government would reopen an investigation into whether the Muslim call to prayer can be outlawed nationwide, arguing that what he described as creeping 'Islamisation' was taking up too much public space. ‘The call to prayer should not be heard over Danish rooftops,' the Social Democrat minister told Danish news agency Ritzau. 'It has no place in Denmark, and you shouldn't be in any doubt whether you've ended up in a suburb of Islamabad when you walk around Denmark.'

Also: (£) Daily Telegraph

Australian citizen working as spy for Iran ‘orchestrated’ Bondi firebombing, Asio boss says

The Guardian, 24/06/2026

An Australian citizen working as a senior intelligence officer for Iran “orchestrated” a firebombing in Bondi, the country’s top spy has claimed, while a former Australian resident in Iraq allegedly directed an attack on a Melbourne synagogue. The alleged homegrown ties to Australia’s “summer of antisemitism” were contained in a wide-ranging speech given by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) director general, Mike Burgess, on Wednesday night. He said in the address that the “hatred of Jews is one thing virtually all the violent extremist cohorts have in common”. Burgess warned that intelligence officials must contend with security threats from everywhere and all at once. The Asio boss said Australians who wanted a safer country should be more tolerant and give others a “fair go” to turn down the temperature.

Also: Associated Press, Australian Associated Press, (£) Financial Times  

Terror threat level system needs review: ASIO boss

Australian Associated Press, 24/06/2026

Changes are being considered for Australia's terrorism threat level system, as the nation's spy chief warns it wasn't designed for the "degrading security environment" facing society. Following his annual threat assessment on Wednesday evening, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said the system in place should be reviewed, and that he is in talks with Home Affairs Department Secretary Stephanie Foster on how it could be overhauled. The nation's terrorism threat level is probable, meaning there is a greater than 50 per cent chance of an onshore attack, or attack planning in the next 12 months. But Mr Burgess said the level "does not tell the full story". "I do not believe the system was designed for a situation like the one we now face," he said.

Teen accused of Dutton terror plot found not guilty

Australian Associated Press, 25/06/2026

A teen accused of plotting nail bomb attacks against then-opposition leader Peter Dutton and a Labour Day march has been found not guilty of preparing a terrorist act. The jury returned its verdict on Thursday after two days of deliberation. The teen, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, stood trial in Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to one count of carrying out acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act. The family of the teen, now aged 17, gasped and cried when the verdict was read out. The boy was about to turn 16 when he rode his scooter around Brisbane's suburbs in July 2024 to buy nails, metal pipes and ingredients for explosives, the jury heard.

Also: The Guardian

Fears grow for civilians as paramilitary group closes in on strategic Sudanese city

Associated Press, 24/06/2026

Paramilitary attacks on a strategic city of a half-million people in central Sudan have raised international alarm that another round of mass violence against civilians is being planned as the country’s war surges into its fourth year. “We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid,” a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. More than 6,000 people were killed in three days last year when the Rapid Support Forces seized el-Fasher in an attack that U.N. experts said bore the “hallmarks of genocide.” The U.N. Security Council has said it is alarmed by reports of “substantial” reinforcements by the RSF around el-Obeid in North Kordofan. The United States, Britain and some other European countries have warned of “escalating atrocity risks.”

China says it has a right to target people overseas with new ethnic unity law

(£) Reuters, 24/06/2026

China has a right to target people outside of its borders who contravene its new law on ethnic unity, a senior official said on ​Wednesday, adding that this was in line with international practice, and was legal and . China passed the law in March to create a "shared" national identity among the country's 55 ethnic minority groups, which include Tibetans and Uyghurs, some of whom chafe under Chinese rule and have over ​the years often staged protests, some of them violent. The new law, which goes into ​effect on July 1, includes a clause saying people and groups beyond ⁠the borders of the People's Republic of China can be held legally accountable ​for undermining "ethnic unity and progress or inciting ethnic separatism".

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that these outlets have a local or regional UK focus and/or a daily reach of less than 100k, and a minority may be funded by foreign governments.

The war on Iran was a strategic disaster for America and Israel

Middle East Eye, 24/06/2026

Sami Al-Arian writes:” The Islamabad agreement reads less like terms imposed on a defeated state than like a retreat from the American-Zionist project to remake the region.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Pressure on Stephen Flynn over 'secrecy on Israel-linked grants'

(£) The National, 25/06/2026

Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn has been urged to intervene amid concerns that a Scottish Government agency may still be funding weapons companies linked to Israel’s violations of international law despite a supposed ban.

First locations for grooming gang inquiry announced

LBC News, 24/06/2026

London, Oldham, Bradford and Keighley are to be the first towns and cities investigated by the grooming gangs inquiry.

New IRA leader’s privacy rights not breached by surveillance at KFC, court rules

(£) Belfast Telegraph, 24/06/2026

The privacy rights of Dublin-born murderer Kevin Braney, the leader of the New IRA, were not breached when gardaí used a surveillance device to listen in on him conversing with members of a criminal gang at a KFC restaurant, the Court of Appeal has found as it upheld his conviction.

Belfast man convicted of sending menacing message directed at family of Bloody Sunday victim jailed for six months

(£) Belfast Telegraph, 24/06/2026

A Belfast man convicted of sending a menacing message directed at the family of a Bloody Sunday victim has been jailed for six months.

Indian American lawmakers urge diaspora to join politics

Eastern Eye, 24/06/2026

Indian American lawmakers have urged members of the diaspora to consider contesting elections and taking a more active role in public life amid concerns over incidents of anti-India hate in parts of the US.

Likud minister says Turkey and Syria 'far more concerning than Iran'

Middle East Eye, 24/06/2026

An Israeli minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said that Turkey and Syria are "far more concerning than Iran," claiming that there is a "Muslim Brotherhood axis".

Israeli police detain Palestinian community leader over 2022 speech

Middle East Eye, 24/06/2026

Israeli police detained and questioned a veteran Palestinian community leader on Tuesday in what has been condemned as part of a wider campaign of “political persecution” against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that some of these outlets have lower reach with UK audiences and/or may be state/government funded. Please also note that foreign media outlets may not have equivalent editorial standards to UK-based outlets.

Israeli attacks kill 2 in southern Lebanon despite ongoing Washington talks

Al Jazeera, 24/062026

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon has killed at least two people despite fighting between Israel and Hizballah quieting down in recent days after demands by both the United States and Iran for a ceasefire.

Pakistan to continue efforts for regional stability, Naqvi tells Iranian counterpart

Geo News, 24/06/2026

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Iranian counterpart, Dr Eskandar Momeni, on Wednesday, and vowed that Pakistan would continue its efforts for lasting peace in the Middle East.

Netanyahu says Israel must be free of US military dependence

National Newspaper, 24/06/2026

Concern is rising in Israel after the US and Iran reported progress in talks in Switzerland, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his country must “free” itself from dependence on the US.

Lebanon awaits Israel's approval for 'pilot' withdrawal

National Newspaper, 24/06/2026

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed on Wednesday that his country is awaiting Israel's approval of occupied positions to be taken over by Lebanese troops as part of a “pilot” Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

US hasn’t asked Israel to withdraw troops from south Lebanon, Israeli minister says

AFP, 24/06/2026

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the United States has not demanded that Israel withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, a condition set by Lebanon in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

Iran claims deal to end Mideast war ‘declaration of US defeat’

Al Arabiya, 24/06/2026

The deal between Iran and the United States to end the Middle East war is “America’s declaration of defeat,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team, said on Wednesday.

US-Iran deal may leave Netanyahu as biggest casualty

Al Arabiya, 24/06/2026

The biggest casualty of the US-Iran deal may not be Israel’s Iran strategy, but the political brand Benjamin Netanyahu spent decades constructing as the Israeli leader who could uniquely bend Washington to his will on Iran, analysts, former US officials and diplomats say.

What does Pakistan stand to gain from helping broker the US-Iran deal?

Al Jazeera, 24/06/2026

At the alpine resort of Burgenstock in Switzerland last weekend, United States Vice President JD Vance stood alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Rubio tries to reassure Gulf allies on US-Iran deal details

Al Jazeera, 24/06/2026

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on the second day of a visit to the Gulf region to reassure allies that a deal to end the Iran-US war would account for their security concerns.

US pressure puts 'straitjacket' on Israel in Lebanon, says former ambassador to Washington

National Newspaper, 24/06/2026

Israel's former ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog, said his country's military operations in Lebanon have been put in a “straitjacket” by increased pressure from the US as it pursues a peace deal with Iran.

No new Syrian troop build-up at border as Al Shara weighs Lebanon dilemma

National Newspaper, 24/06/2026

When Iran was firing missiles at Arab capitals in the recent war, Damascus was safe.

Israeli attacks on Gaza and occupied West Bank kill two, including child

Al Jazeera, 24/06/2026

Israeli forces have continued attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, killing at least two Palestinians despite an ongoing “ceasefire” in the besieged enclave.

Our life stops’: West Bank childhood shattered by Israeli military raids

Al Jazeera, 24/06/2026

In the narrow alleyways of the Dheisheh refugee camp, three children debate which of their encounters with the Israeli military is worth telling, and who gets to tell it.

Besieged army-held city in Sudan endures water shortages and soaring food prices

National Newspaper, 24/06/2026

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are tightening their siege of the army-held city of Al Obeid in the contested North Kordofan region, with residents reporting drinking water shortages and soaring food prices.

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Wins by Mamdani-backed candidates deal blow to pro-Israel camp in US; South Africa stun South Korea to reach World Cup knockouts for the first time; Trump slams NATO over lax participation in Iran war in talk with Mark Rutte; Israeli attacks on Gaza and occupied West Bank kill two, including child

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Al Arabiya correspondent Mohammed Aydah killed in explosion in Yemen’s Mukalla; US-Iran deal may leave Netanyahu as biggest casualty; Trump says Iran has told US no tolls being sought at Strait of Hormuz; Iran claims deal to end Mideast war ‘declaration of US defeat’; US hasn’t asked Israel to withdraw troops from south Lebanon, Israeli minister says

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• US-IRAN WAR: FROM TRUCE TO TALKS; Bilawal, Fazl come down hard on Khawaja Asif over remarks on Rawalakot residents; US, Iran at odds on nuclear inspections, frozen assets in deal to end war; Pakistan to continue efforts for regional stability, Naqvi tells Iranian counterpart